Relegation-threatened RKC Waalwijk welcome out-of-form SBV Excelsior in Saturday's gameweek 14 Eredivisie encounter at the Mandemakers Stadion.
The home side returned to winning ways in the previous round, but their mid-table opponents were not quite fortunate, losing for the third time in five after a 4-2 defeat against defending champions Feyenoord.
Match preview
Round 13 brought Waalwijk some cheer as they defeated PEC Zwolle 2-1 to end a three-game losing run, thus recording their fourth league success of the 2023-24 season.
Filip Stevanovic and Chris Lokesa scored either side of Davy van den Berg's leveller to seal the road success, despite facing a home barrage in the game's final minutes.
While recording their second away victory was encouraging, Henk Fraser's men look to return to winning ways in front of their fans after losing two on the trot — both to Feyenoord (2-1) and Go Ahead Eagles (1-0).
Defeats to in-form top-five clubs should not discourage Fraser, who must have been pleased with his side's competitiveness in both losses, effectively seeing the glass as half-full instead of half-empty.
RKC should be keen to put the record straight on Saturday, hoping to take advantage of last weekend's triumph and rise in the standings.
Back-to-back wins in round 14 are far from guaranteed, despite Excelsior's poor run of results after a bright start this term.
Marinus Dijkhuizen's men lost one of their seven Eredivisie fixtures heading into October but have since been defeated three times in the competition, starting with the 4-2 home loss to PEC Zwolle just over a month ago.
The defensive weakness has played an evident part in the wobble, as Dijkhuizen's troops kept three shutouts in four before the October 22 reverse but have had no clean sheet in the last five matches.
They have conceded four goals in losses to Feyenoord and PEC Zwolle while letting in three in the 3-1 reverse at Volendam, underscoring the away side's defensive bugbear.
It remains to be seen if Roodzwarten turn the tide this weekend, but a defeat would see the hosts move level with Excelsior on 15 points.
Team News
Waalwijk have a clean bill of health heading into Saturday's encounter, with Fraser selecting from a full complement of his squad.
Apart from Stevanovic, Yassin Oukili and Michiel Kramer, who have each netted twice, could be potential match-winners.
Etienne Vaessen and Mark Spenkelink are vying for a spot between the sticks, with the former reinstated last weekend.
Doubtful for Excelsior are Raphael Eyongo, Mike van Duinen, Lennard Hartjes, Kik Pierie and Jacky Donkor, while Redouan El Yaakoubi and Serano Seymor may still not return this weekend.
The upshot of the away side's injury issues could be utilising the same side that started in the Feyenoord loss.
RKC Waalwijk possible starting lineup:
Vaessen; Lelieveld, Adewoye, Van Den Buijs, Meijers; Roemeratoe, Lokesa, Oukili; Cleonise, Kramer, Stevanovic
SBV Excelsior possible starting lineup:
Van Gassel; Horemans, Widell, Nieuwpoort, Zagre; Fitz-Jim, Sandra, Baas; Lamprou, Parrott, Drioech
We say: RKC Waalwijk 1-1 SBV Excelsior
Waalwijk are yet to draw a game this season, but that could end on Saturday, as they welcome an Excelsior side with more stalemates (six) than any side in the Eredivisie.
A tie extends the home side's undefeated run against this weekend's opponents to five.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
