Willem II will be hoping to bring an end to their dismal run of form in the Eredivisie this weekend when they travel to Goffertstadion to face NEC Nijmegen on Saturday afternoon.
The hosts enter the weekend's fixture with 33 points and in 13th place after 30 games, while the visitors are in the sole relegation playoff spot with 24 points over the same period.
Match preview
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After pulling off a dramatic late victory over RKC Waalwijk in their last home match, NEC were unable to follow up on the road last weekend and suffered their 15th defeat of the season, going down 1-0 to Heerenveen.
With four games now left to play in the 2024-25 league season, the Nijmegen-based club is clear of the automatic drop, and a point or better from this match will ensure they will not end in the bottom three.
Over the last week, the club confirmed that Dick Schreuder is set to become the new manager of NEC from the end of this season, with the 53-year-old rumoured to have inked a three year deal until the summer of 2028.
Schreuder will replace Rogier Meijer, who was in charge of De Goffert for six years and led the team back to the top flight, as well as to a stunning sixth-placed finish in the Eredivisie last season.
While the hosts have experienced a notable dip this season, they have been a tough side to beat at home, losing only one of their last seven matches (W2 D4 L1), while scoring two or more goals in six games during that period.
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Meanwhile, Willem II looked to be well on their way to surviving the drop in their first season back in the top flight after earning a solid 22 points over the first half of the campaign.
However, since the turn of the calendar, things have gone horribly wrong for the Superkruiken, as they have only earned two points in their last 13 games by astonishingly holding Feyenoord and PSV to draws.
Last weekend, the Tilburg outfit suffered a 1-0 loss to Fortuna Sittard - their eighth defeat in a row - and that result marked the end for Peter Maes, who was axed by the club on Wednesday afternoon.
Kristof Aelbrecht has been appointed as caretaker manager until the end of the season, and he will be hoping to make an instant impact by leading the team to their first win on the road since mid-December.
Team News
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NEC will have to make do without one of their chief playmakers this week in Vito van Crooij, who was shown his fifth yellow card of the season in the loss to Heerenveen and will have to serve a one-match ban.
Defender Ivan Marquez could be brought into the starting lineup after featuring off the bench in the last match, while Kas De Wit is the only confirmed absentee for the hosts this weekend.
Mickael Tirpan is set to miss his third match in a row for the visitors owing to illness, while Dani Mathieu and Amine Lachkar are ruled out for the remainder of the season with a knee and groin injury, respectively.
Kyan Vaesen returned to the bench for Willem II last week after completing his suspension, and he could start this match in place of Jeremy Bokila, who has only scored twice in 27 league appearances this season.
NEC possible starting lineup:
Roefs; Lyratzis, Sandler, Verdonk, Ouwejan; Proper, Hoedemakers, Sano; Hansen, Shiogai, Ouaissa
Willem II possible starting lineup:
Didillon-Hodl; Nizet, St. Jago, Schouten, Behounek; Bosch, Sandra, Lachkar; Kehrer, Vaesen, Meerveld
We say: NEC 2-1 Willem II
While NEC have experienced a major drop-off compared to the dizzying heights they reached last season, they have been a difficult team to beat at home, losing only one of their last seven games at Goffertstadion.
Willem II, on the other hand, have been in freefall since the start of the year, winless in their last 13 games, and we feel they will struggle to take anything from this one as well.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Devesh Jaganath
