Fortuna Sittard are set to welcome Willem II this Saturday, with the hosts still winless in their opening 10 games in the Eredivisie.
Willem II, meanwhile, are also experiencing a hugely disappointing start to the 2020-21 season, having managed just two wins so far, despite reaching the Europa League qualifiers last term.
Match preview
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Sittard currently find themselves in the relegation zone, with goal difference the only factor separating them and bottom-place FC Emmen as they head into Saturday's clash.
Sjors Ultee's men have suffered seven defeats already this campaign, along with three draws, with their latest league result ending in a 2-0 loss against high-flying Vitesse.
The two goals came from Oussama Darfalou and Armando Broja, with Thomas Letsch's team able to claim a comfortable victory last Sunday.
Ultee will be desperate to pick up at least a point this weekend, hoping to end his team's two-match losing streak.
However, it is worth noting that Sittard currently have the second worst defence in the league, conceding 27 goals in just 10 games.
On the other hand, Willem II currently occupy 14th place in the table - just five points above their opponents.
Their previous league result saw a 1-0 loss away at Groningen, with Ahmed El Messaoudi scoring the only goal of the game.
This means that Adrie Koster's men have lost two of their last three league outings, with the visitors yet to win on the road this season.
In fact, their last away win came in January earlier this year, when Willem II managed a 3-1 win against AZ Alkmaar in the 2019-20 season.
The last time these two teams met was back in December last year, however neither side was able to find the back of the net, with the league game ending in a 0-0 draw.
Fortuna Sittard Eredivisie form: LLDLLD
Fortuna Sittard form (all competitions): LLDLWL
Willem II Eredivisie form: LWLLDL
Team News
Sittard coach Ultee, who was placed in charge after Kevin Hofland was sacked last month, is expected to have a fully fit squad for the game on Saturday.
Zian Flemming, who has netted three goals and provided two assists this season, is expected to retain his place in the starting XI.
Meanwhile, Willem II will be without Kwasi Okyere Wriedt, with the Ghanaian currently nursing a foot injury he picked up in a pre-season friendly.
Both Robbin Ruiter and Dries Saddiki are also doubtful for the match against Sittard, while Derrick Kohn is expected to return to the side after his two-match ban.
Fortuna Sittard possible starting lineup:
Osch; Angha, Rienstra, Janssen, Cox; Flemming, Tekie, Smeets; Hansson, Polter, Seuntjens
Willem II possible starting lineup:
Brondeel; Owusu, Van der Heijden, Peters, Kohn; Saglam, Llonch, Ndayishimiye; Nunnely, Pavlidis, Gladon
We say: Fortuna Sittard 1-2 Willem II
Sittard have been relatively promising going forward, with the hosts able to score in five of their last six league games. However, Willem II should have just enough quality to pick up a narrow win, with Koster desperate to climb back up the table.
Top betting tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Fortuna Sittard win with a probability of 38.17%. A win for Willem II had a probability of 36.94% and a draw had a probability of 24.9%.
The most likely scoreline for a Fortuna Sittard win was 2-1 with a probability of 8.46%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-0 (8.18%) and 2-0 (5.94%). The likeliest Willem II win was 1-2 (8.3%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (11.65%). The actual scoreline of 3-2 was predicted with a 2.9% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Fortuna Sittard would win this match.
