Gameweek 13 will see a crucial mid-table match in the Eredivisie unfold as Heerenveen prepare to do battle with Fortuna Sittard at Abe Lenstra Stadion on Saturday afternoon.
Both teams are neck-and-neck on 13 points each in the middle of the pack, although Fortuna Sittard are a spot above their opponents owing to a marginally better goal difference.
Match preview
Heerenveen have made a steady start to the 2023-24 league season and come into this match following a 3-1 win over Vitesse before we headed into the international break a couple of weeks ago.
The Super Frisians were given a brief scare in that match after the bottom club opened the scoring inside the first five minutes, but goals from Pelle van Amersfoort, Anas Tahiri and Ion Nicolaescu saw their side to their fourth win of the campaign.
Kees van Wonderen's side also booked their place in the second round of the KNVB Cup, beating lower-league outfit VVV at the end of last month, marking their third consecutive home win in all competitions, while they are unbeaten in their last four.
The one major area of improvement for the hosts, though, is in defence, where they have already shipped 26 goals to date, which is the third-most in the league, with only FC Volendam and Heracles conceding more.
A win here could take either of these sides as high as seventh in the standings, while a loss could see them drop to 13th, depending on results from across the grounds over the weekend.
Meanwhile, Fortuna Sittard also headed into the international break following a victory, as they claimed a solid 4-1 win over Heracles, marking their third win in 12 matches, along with four draws and five losses.
Danny Buijs's side were completely dominant from the first whistle and had put the game to bed fairly early, with Kaj Sierhuis scoring his side's fourth goal of the afternoon five minutes before the half-time interval.
That result was a significant one for Fortuna, as it was the first time that they took a 4-0 lead in an Eredivisie match since May 1990, when they beat FC Volendam on their home patch.
Despite winning the last encounter against this opponent 2-0 last season, Fortunezen have lost on their last two visits to Abe Lenstra Stadion and are the underdogs in this one, according to the bookmakers.
Team News
Osame Sahraoui is the only injury doubt for Heerenveen in this match, although the midfielder has resumed training and could earn himself a spot on the bench after missing the last 10 games.
Luuk Brouwers has scored three in his last three matches and should continue in the number 10 role behind Van Amersfoort, who opened his account in the league against Vitesse before the international break.
Fortuna have two absentees for this match, with Tijjani Noslin and Thomas Buitink both ruled out from selection due to a leg and ACL injury respectively.
Alen Halilovic has been the creative spark for the visitors of late, and he should continue as the furthest forward midfielder in support of the frontmen Sierhuis and Milan Robberechts.
Heerenveen possible starting lineup:
Noppert; Braude, Van Beek, Bochniewicz, Kohlert; Haye, Tahiri, Olsson, Brouwers, Nunnely; Van Amersfoort
Fortuna Sittard possible starting lineup:
Pandur; Guth, Siovas, Dijks; Rosier, Pinto, Duarte, Halilovic, Cordoba; Sierhuis, Robberechts
We say: Heerenveen 2-1 Fortuna Sittard
Both sides went into the international break off the back of solid performances and will return to action rested and full of confidence. While Fortuna did win the last encounter between these sides, they have struggled to secure victory at this venue. Heerenveen have an impressive record at home this term, and we are backing them to claim another scalp in this one.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Devesh Jaganath
