Looking to bounce back from an embarrassing loss in midweek in the KNVB Cup, PEC Zwolle will welcome an upward-aiming Fortuna Sittard side to MACPARK Stadion on Sunday afternoon in the Eredivisie.
The Bluefingers were knocked out of the Netherlands' primary cup competition on Wednesday night by third-tier opposition, while Fortuna took a pleasant break from league action, winning at Sparta Nijkerk.
Match preview
After three successive defeats in the Eredivisie to AZ Alkmaar, newly-promoted Heracles and champions Feyenoord, it looked as if PEC Zwolle were turning a corner with results at Excelsior and Vitesse, but Wednesday night saw a terrible display against third-division outfit AFC.
The top-flight visitors at Sportpark Goed Genoeg dominated possession and created the lion's share of the clear-cut chances, although with Greek striker Apostolos Vellios being out of form in Amsterdam on the night, former PEC youngster Wessel Been bagged the only goal of the contest.
Now with only Eredivisie matters to attend to for the remainder of the campaign, Johnny Jansen's men will be aiming to swiftly secure their top-tier status after gaining automatic promotion last season, and the Bluefingers are carrying out their assignment admirably so far, sitting ninth in the league standings, three points ahead of 16th-placed Vitesse.
It is often claimed that home form is what determines whether a newly-promoted club avoids an immediate return to the lower division, meaning PEC better ought to improve their record at MACPARK Stadion, with Jansen's charges winning just one of their opening five home matches, collecting only four points.
With Thomas van den Belt and Younes Taha moving to Feyenoord and FC Twente respectively in the summer, a lot of the goalscoring burden now lies on the shoulders of German attacker Lennart Thy, who made the net ripple on 23 occasions in 36 games for Zwolle last term as they bounced back into the Eredivisie at the first attempt.
Entering the field of play at Sportpark De Ebbenhorst having failed to win in their last five matches, it would be understandable if some of the Fortuna Sittard players were worried that they could be victims of a first-round upset in the KNVB Cup on Wednesday, but the top-tier side managed to sneak their way past Sparta Nijkerk.
The fourth-tier hosts certainly had their chances in the contest but ultimately failed to make those key moments count, and after 81 minutes of the game, former Barcelona and AC Milan prodigy Alen Halilovic bagged the only goal of the match from the penalty spot past Mathijs Swaneveld.
After spending the majority of the 2010s languishing in the doldrums of the Eerste Divisie, Fortuna are in the midst of their sixth-straight campaign amongst the country's elite clubs, and Danny Buijs's side currently occupy 11th place in the standings following the opening 10 rounds.
Similar to during the 2022-23 term, Sittard's inability to score regularly is preventing them from rising towards the upper echelons of the division, with seven players currently tied in the club's Golden Boot race with just one goal to their name, including attackers Mouhamed Belkheir and Tijjani Noslin.
After going five matches and over three years undefeated against Sunday's hosts, Fortuna came out on the losing side of the most recent meeting between the sides, with Oussama Darfalou scoring the only goal of the contest as Dick Schreuder's Zwolle earned maximum points at Fortuna Sittard Stadion in March.
Team News
PEC manager Jansen has stated he will be forced into changes to his starting XI on Sunday afternoon due to a raft of injuries plaguing the hosts' squad, and it remains to be seen whether Ferdy Druijf is fit enough to feature.
Last season's leading marksman Thy is also a doubt for this weekend, meaning the likes of Vellios, Odysseus Velanas and Younes Namli could be tasked with firing in the goals.
Left-back Samir Lagsir remains a doubt for Zwolle, with the 20-year-old defender still recovering from a long-term knee issue which has seen him sidelined since February.
Jansen has confirmed that fellow defender Lennart Czyborra will be unable to feature at MACPARK Stadion on Sunday after picking up a knock since returning from the international break.
Fortuna have a doubt of their own ahead of Sunday afternoon's clash, with Spanish winger Inigo Cordoba being forced off after 30 minutes in the goalless draw against Utrecht last weekend.
Centre-back Rodrigo Guth has been a key figure in Sittard keeping back-to-back clean sheets over the past weekend, and the 22-year-old should be joined at the heart of the visitors' defence by Greek veteran Dimitris Siovas.
PEC Zwolle possible starting lineup:
Schendelaar; Reijnders, Kersten, Van Polen, McNulty; Buurmeester, Thy, Van den Berg; Velanas, Namli, Vellios
Fortuna Sittard possible starting lineup:
Pandur; Pinto, Guth, Siovas, Vita; Rosier, Duarte, Griffith, Halilovic, Belkheir; Sierhuis
We say: PEC Zwolle 1-1 Fortuna Sittard
PEC manager Jansen is expecting a different side to turn up compared to the one which lost in the KNVB Cup on Wednesday, but Fortuna will be a hard team to overcome.
The visitors managed to get over the line in Amsterdam in midweek, and we are backing them to force a share of the spoils at the MACPARK Stadion on Sunday.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
