RKC Waalwijk and Almere City square off on Sunday afternoon in what is a battle between the bottom two sides in the Eredivisie standings.
However, there are five points separating the two sides, the home team still looking for their first win of the campaign.
Match preview
© Imago
Although RKC Waalwijk have generally been a side that have been content with survival in the Eredivisie, they could not have envisaged being so far off the pace at this stage.
Just one point has been accumulated from their opening 10 fixtures, with that coming from a 2-2 draw at home to European qualification contenders FC Twente.
As many as 28 goals have been conceded in 10 outings, with Henk Fraser's side conceding at least twice in each of those encounters.
On a positive note, however, RKC recorded a 3-1 victory over Vitesse in the KNVB-Beker on Wednesday, scoring each of their goals in the opening 34 minutes.
Already trailing 15th position by eight points, Fraser will hope that his side have finally turned a corner ahead of the biggest game of their season so far.
Meanwhile, Almere City endured contrasting fortunes in that competition, losing to lower-league Quick Boys by a 3-0 scoreline to heap the pressure on Hedwiges Maduro.
Up until October 25, Maduro had failed to post a single win since his appointment in the summer, with a 1-0 victory over NEC Nijmegen initially lowering the scrutiny on his appointment.
However, the result against Quick Boys has highlighted the vulnerability of the Black Sheep, who have also scored just five times in their 10 league games.
With Feyenoord to come next, Almere can ill-afford to suffer a seventh defeat in the Eredivisie, particularly when it would bring their opponents back into the equation in the scrap to move out of the drop zone.
Team News
© Imago
RKC will be without Faissal Al Mazyani through suspension after the defender was sent off as a substitute in the 4-1 reverse at NAC Breda.
Mohamed Ihattaren could be handed his first league start of the season having worked up his fitness in recent weeks, including a 45-minute showing in the same game.
Tim van de Loo is most likely to drop out of the side to accommodate the playmaker.
Meanwhile, Almere City could plausibly line up with the same team from their 1-0 win over NEC.
Mass changes were made for the Quick Boys defeat, a move that did not pay off, but Maduro's first-choice players will be fresh for this contest.
James Lawrence, Baptiste Guillaume and Alex Balboa are all expected to remain on the sidelines.
RKC Waalwijk possible starting lineup:
Osch; Lelieveld, Eijma, Gelderen, Familia-Castillo; Roemeratoe, Weidmann; Water, Ihattaren, Cleonise; Margaret
Almere City possible starting lineup:
Bakker; Akujobi, Visus, Barbet, Zagaritis; Haye, Tahiri; Delaurier-Chaubet, Kamp, Kadile; Robinet
We say: RKC Waalwijk 1-1 Almere City
With the home side having recently earned a surprise draw with FC Twente, they should not be ruled out here. However, we feel the two sides will play out a low-scoring draw that will not necessarily suit either club.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Darren Plant
