After securing a return to European football for the first time in three years last time out, Vitesse get their Eredivisie campaign started with a visit to the Mac3Park Stadion on Sunday to face off against PEC Zwolle.
Vitesse enjoyed a productive 2020-21 campaign where they finished in fourth spot, nine places above their hosts who flattered to deceive.
Match preview
Vitesse saw off the threat of Dundalk on Thursday to secure safe passage into the maiden edition of the UEFA Conference League.
After a 2-2 draw at the GelreDome on August 5, first-half goals from Matus Bero and Yann Gboho put Thomas Letsch's men in the box seat before Pat Hoban pulled one back for the Irish outfit in the second period.
With added European adventures to navigate, Vitas now prepare for the start of the new Eredivisie season which would put their squad depth to the test more than ever before.
They kick things off with an opening-day visit to a ground where they have been beaten on each of their last two trips.
Saturday's visitors also failed to win any of their last three away games last term, and they will be keen to get going on the road this time around.
PEC Zwolle head into the new season off the back of consecutive losses in their final two pre-season games against Heerenveen and Heracles respectively.
Art Langeler's men suffered just one defeat in their four warm-up games prior to that which came versus Eerste Divisie outfit Volendam.
The Blauwvingers will aim to fly out of the blocks this weekend having lost each of their last three opening fixtures.
Now in their 10th consecutive Eredivisie season since gaining promotion in 2013, Sunday's hosts have now all but established themselves at this level.
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Team News
Matus Bero has netted in each of his two outings for the visitors this term and comes into Sunday's contest in fine form.
Lois Openda was suspended for the second leg of his side's European tie in midweek, but he is expected to be recalled into the starting XI for this one.
Also likely to get the nod right from the off this time is Oussama Tannane, who missed the aforementioned game with a knock.
Sai Van Wermeskerken continues his spell on the sidelines with a knee injury which has seen him not feature for the hosts since mid-February.
Having lost both of last season's top two goalscorers, Zwolle will turn to the newly-acquired Gervane Kastaneer for inspiration in attack this term.
PEC Zwolle possible starting lineup:
Lamprou; Paal, Kersten, Van Polen, Bajselmani; Huiberts, Strieder, Clement; Kastaneer, Tedic, Saymak
Vitesse possible starting lineup:
Schubert; Oroz, Doekhi, Bazoer; Manhoef, Tronstad, Gboho, Wittek; Bero, Darfalou, Frederiksen
We say: PEC Zwolle 1-2 Vitesse
Following their triumph in midweek, Vitesse head into this weekend's game on a high albeit with a less-rested squad than their opponents. Nonetheless, we are tipping them to claim a narrow victory in what should be an end-to-end affair.
Top tip
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 Vitesse win with a probability of 50.5%. A win for PEC Zwolle had a probability of 25.29% and a draw had a probability of 24.2%.
The most likely scoreline for a Vitesse win was 0-1 with a probability of 10.29%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (9.61%) and 0-2 (8.63%). The likeliest PEC Zwolle win was 1-0 (6.84%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (11.46%). The actual scoreline of 0-1 was predicted with a 10.3% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted a 0-1 win for Vitesse in this match.
