NAC Breda and Willem II will draw the curtain on their respective 2024-25 Eredivisie campaigns with a meeting at the Rat Verlegh Stadion on Sunday afternoon.
Both teams are on a dry patch heading into this one, but with little to play for this weekend, an entertaining affair could be on the cards with neither party holding back.
Match preview
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Returning to the top flight after a six-year absence plying their trade in the lower divisions, Breda had just one objective this season, which was to survive relegation, and while they have managed to achieve that with sizeable room to spare, there are some valid concerns over their long-term prospects.
Carl Hoefkens's men kicked off 2025 in 10th place and with faint European ambitions, but a dismal run of only one win in 16 league matches since the turn of the year has seen them drop all the way down to 15th, albeit seven points clear of the relegation playoff place.
Parel van het Zuiden recently lost three straight league matches for the first time this season in their last outing against NEC, where Brayann Pereira's strike on the half-hour mark and a Bryan Linssen double in the second half put them to the sword.
That defeat extended Breda's run of competitive matches without a victory to 14, and as they prepare for their sophomore Eredivisie campaign since 2019, all indications are currently pointing towards a more torrid spell next season.
Nonetheless, a victory to close things out would certainly help lift the mood, and Sunday's hosts have fared pretty well in this fixture, suffering just one defeat in the last five editions, although they did bottle a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 back in November's reverse meeting.
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Like Breda, Willem II were also back amongst the Dutch elite for the first time in a while and would have had top-flight safety as their major priority despite emphatically cruising to the Eerste Divisie last time out.
Led by Peter Maes at the time, Willem II got themselves underway on a positive note with five points picked up from the first available nine before finally suffering a first defeat of the season against Sparta Rotterdam at the end of August.
Willem II blew hot and cold over the next three months, but a slow start to 2025 ultimately led to the dismissal of Paes after 19 months in charge, with Kristof Aelbrecht taking the reins on a temporary basis.
Aelbrecht managed a point from his opening game against NEC at the start of May, which has since been followed by consecutive 2-1 defeats against Heracles and, most recently, PEC Zwolle on Wednesday.
While De Superkruiken currently find themselves in the bottom three with 25 points from 33 matches, their top-flight status is hanging in the balance with a relegation playoff on the horizon, making Sunday's season finale a dead rubber, to say the least, in terms of their league standings.
However, for a team still awaiting a first win since January, Sunday's clash is as good a time as any to finally end that drought and secure what would be only a fourth win on enemy territory in 17 attempts this term.
Team News
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Boyd Lucassen has been on the sidelines for some time now due to a knee problem and is still unavailable for Breda alongside fellow Dutchman Dion Versluis.
Jan Van den Bergh is also unavailable for this one, so Terence Kongolo should keep his starting berth in the heart of the defence alongside Enes Mahmutovic.
Willem II's Cisse Sandra and Runar Sigurgeirsson are both guaranteed absentees for a fourth straight game as they continue to nurse respective muscle injuries.
Twenty-eight-year-old Raffael Behounek has missed each of his side's last two matches due to suspension and will not play any part in this weekend's encounter either.
Dani Mathieu is still facing an extended spell out of action through a knee issue he picked up last season, although the midfielder could be back for the start of the 2025-26 campaign.
NAC Breda possible starting lineup:
Lamprou; Busi, Kongolo, Mahmutovic, Valerius; Paula, Jensen, Balard, Staring; Sowah, Van Hooijdonk
Willem II possible starting lineup:
Didillon; Nizet, Schouten, Lambert, St Jago; Kaygin, Meerveld, Bosch; Kehrer, Vaesen, Doodeman
We say: NAC Breda 2-1 Willem II
Breda and Willem II have been abysmal defensively, so we can see both of them getting on the scoresheet.
That said, we are backing the home side to narrowly pip their visitors to all three points when all is said and done.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Adepoju Marvellous
