Willem II will aim to move clear of the bottom three in the Eredivisie table on Friday, when they make the trip to take on Go Ahead Eagles.
Winless in the last seven outings, the visitors now sit a single point above the relegation playoff place, while their hosts have climbed to 10th spot thanks to back-to-back victories.
Match preview
© Reuters
Following their promotion from the Dutch second tier last year, Go Ahead Eagles have enjoyed a strong first campaign back in the Eredivisie, currently sitting in mid-table heading into the final straight.
In a particularly strong spell, Kees van Wonderen's side defeated Eredivisie champions and league leaders Ajax 2-1 in the league on home turf at the end of February, before going into a KNVB Cup semi-final clash with PSV Eindhoven, which they eventually went on to lose 2-1.
While that was followed by a draw with FC Utrecht and a disappointing defeat to strugglers Sparta Rotterdam, The pride of the IJssel Kowet quickly bounced back, beating fellow promoted side Cambuur 3-0 with Joris Kramer and Mats Deijl on the scoresheet alongside a Pieter Bos own goal.
They followed that up with a second straight victory last time out, upon their return from the international break, as Philippe Rommens's 93rd-minute goal saw them snatch a 1-0 win over PEC Zwolle in dramatic fashion.
Following their consecutive three-point hauls, Go Ahead Eagles have risen to 10th spot in the Eredivisie table, and with the chance to break into the top half with another win on Friday, they will be keen to extend their winning run.
The visitors, meanwhile, arrive desperate to increase the gap between themselves and the relegation zone, having struggled for form recently.
Following a particularly strong start, Willem II looked set for an impressive season in the Eredivisie, but they went on to experience a sharp slump, losing 10 consecutive league matches between late October and January.
While they were eventually able to put an end to that run with a 3-1 victory over RKC Waalwijk, the Superkruiken have been unable to bring about a real change in their fortunes, as they have since failed to win any of the eight matches since that triumph.
Following a creditable 2-2 draw with AZ Alkmaar, they fell to a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Feyenoord at the weekend, leaving them just a point above the relegation playoff place and the automatic drop zone.
Now under the management of Kevin Hofland, Willem II will be looking to correct their form and boost their cushion over the drop zone with six league games left to play, as the two sides below them each hold games in hand.
- W
- L
- D
- L
- W
- W
- L
- L
- D
- L
- D
- L
Team News
Go Ahead Eagles do not appear to have any fresh injury concerns, and they will likely deploy a similar team to the ones that have picked up consecutive wins.
Isac Lidberg will hope to keep his place up front amid competition from former Barcelona striker Marc Cardona, while Mats Deijl will be a threat from the right wing.
Further back, Gerrit Nauber and Joris Kramer will continue to partner up at the heart of the back four, having kept back-to-back clean sheets.
Willem II have several injuries to contend with, as Pol Llonch and Wesley Spieringhs are sidelined alongside exciting midfielder Thijs Oosting, who continues to be a big miss, having netted two goals in his first three games following a January move from AZ Alkmaar.
Che Nunnely has been a bright spark in their poor campaign, netting five league goals from the right wing, while Jizz Hornkamp will likely spearhead the attack in a 4-2-3-1 setup.
Go Ahead Eagles possible starting lineup:
Noppert; Martina, Nauber, Kramer, Kuipers; Rommens, Brouwers; Deijl, Cordoba, Heil; Lidberg
Willem II possible starting lineup:
Wellenreuther; Owusu, Dammers, Jenssen, Kohn; Crowley, Saddiki; Nunnely, Meerveld, Svensson; Hornkamp
We say: Go Ahead Eagles 2-0 Willem II
While the visitors will be desperately searching for a must-needed win, Go Ahead Eagles look to be the far stronger of the two sides, and we see them continuing their winning run and taking all three points on home turf, partially down to their improved defensive solidity in recent weeks.
Top tip
Sam Varley
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 Go Ahead Eagles win with a probability of 54%. A draw had a probability of 23.4% and a win for Willem II had a probability of 22.6%.
The most likely scoreline for a Go Ahead Eagles win was 1-0 with a probability of 10.46%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (9.8%) and 2-0 (9.25%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (11.07%), while for a Willem II win it was 0-1 (6.26%). The actual scoreline of 4-0 was predicted with a 2.4% likelihood. Our team at Sports Mole and our data analysis both correctly predicted that Go Ahead Eagles would win this match.
