RKC Waalwijk will hope to pull away from the relegation zone in the Eredivisie this weekend when they head to MAC³PARK Stadion to take on PEC Zwolle on Saturday night.
The hosts are currently in eighth place in the league standings with 14 points after 12 matches, while the visitors are down in 15th spot and just one point above Volendam and the drop.
Match preview
PEC Zwolle have been unable to establish themselves as a genuine top-flight contender in recent years, but they have made a very promising start to the current campaign and will be looking to build on it as we enter the busy period of the season.
The Bluefingers were the latest to fall victim to the incredible form of PSV, as they suffered a 4-0 defeat to the league leaders in a lopsided league encounter just before heading into the international break.
However, that result followed a run of three consecutive matches without defeat, which included wins over Excelsior and Fortuna Sittard and a somewhat disappointing 1-1 draw away to bottom club Vitesse.
Johnny Jansen's side did win the last encounter between these teams 2-0 back in April 2022 and are unbeaten in their last five competitive matches against Waalwijk, though it is worth noting that four of those games ended level.
Meanwhile, after solid mid-table finishes in the last two Eredivisie seasons, RKC Waalwijk are yet to find top gear this term and have been steadily slipping down the table, now level with Utrecht in the relegation playoff spot.
The international break came at just the right time for Henk Fraser's side, who suffered a 1-0 loss to Go Ahead Eagles in their last match, extending their recent losing run in the top flight to three consecutive matches.
The visitors have a very poor away record this term as well, with four losses in five matches on the road, while if we look further back, they have only won three of their last 20 away league games dating back to September last year.
Undoubtedly, the major issue for RKC this season has been their lack of attacking prowess, as they have only managed to score eight goals in 11 matches this season, which is the worst return of any team in the top flight.
Team News
Jansen will have to make do with the services of Ferdy Druijf (hamstring) and Divaio Bobson (knock) for this match, with both players ruled out through injury.
Samir Lagsir has returned to training after over seven months out due to a knee injury, although this match may have come too soon for him to return to the starting 11.
Fraser is also expected to be without three players, with Thierry Lutonda, Etienne Vaessen and Reuven Niemeijer all flagged as major doubts for this encounter.
Shawn Adewoye was shown a straight red in his side's 2-1 defeat against Feyenoord at the start of the month, and the defender will serve the second of his three-match ban in this one.
PEC Zwolle possible starting lineup:
Schendelaar; Van Polen, Kersten, Lam, MacNulty; Buurmeester, Thomas, Van den Berg; Reijnders, Vellios, Namli
RKC Waalwijk possible starting lineup:
Vaessen; Lelieveld, Van den Buijs, Gaari, Meijers; Roemeratoe, Lokesa, Oukili; Cleonise, Kramer, Stevanovic
We say: PEC Zwolle 1-0 RKC Waalwijk
While RKC Waalwijk have fared relatively well in this fixture in the past, their away form this season does little to inspire much confidence in their chances this time. We are expecting a tight matchup here but are leaning toward the hosts claiming a narrow victory.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Devesh Jaganath
