NEC vs Fortuna Sittard - prediction, team news, lineups

NEC Nijmegen big Fortuna Sittard astatine Goffertstadion connected Sunday for a round-nine Eredivisie gathering betwixt 2 sides stuck successful the division's congested midsection.

The day besides carries a idiosyncratic subplot, with guardant Kaj Sierhuis acceptable to look his erstwhile nine for the archetypal clip since his summertime determination from Sittard to Nijmegen.

Match preview

Dick Schreuder's broadside beryllium 11th successful the Eredivisie table with 9 points from 8 matches, a grounds of 2 wins, 3 draws and 3 losses that already leaves them 11 points disconnected leaders Feyenoord this aboriginal successful the campaign.

NEC person not won successful 7 matches crossed each competitions, a series that stretches backmost done a Europa League gully with Levski Sofia and includes back-to-back league draws against Go Ahead Eagles and Ajax either broadside of a 3-0 decision astatine Cambuur.

Continental shot has added to a congested autumn for Schreuder's squad, and their league signifier has suffered for it, with lone 5 goals scored successful their past 5 Eredivisie outings and conscionable 2 points collected from 4 matches astatine Goffertstadion this season.

Captain Tjaronn Chery remains the side's attacking focal constituent regardless, starring the squad with 4 league goals and 2 assists, and NEC person won much penalties than immoderate different broadside successful the part this play with three.

Their astir caller league gathering with Sunday's visitors ended badly, a 2-3 location decision astatine Goffertstadion successful February successful which Chery and Bryan Linssen scored for NEC either broadside of goals from Ivan Marquez, Mohamed Ihattaren and Justin Hubner.

Schreuder volition privation a absorption successful beforehand of his ain supporters, alert that an eighth lucifer without triumph would propulsion NEC person to the bottommost fractional than the places they targeted implicit the summer.

Danny Buijs's squad get successful considerably healthier form, sitting seventh connected 14 points from 4 wins, 2 draws and 2 losses successful their 8 matches truthful far.

Fortuna person won 3 of their past 5 fixtures and scored 9 goals successful that period, the benignant of attacking instrumentality that has kept them successful the apical fractional of the array done the opening 2 months of the season.

Their lone blemish successful that tally was a chastening 1-5 location decision to Ajax successful September, though they steadied themselves with a 1-0 triumph astatine Willem II and a 1-1 gully against FC Twente past clip out.

Fortuna's distant signifier has been a peculiar spot this season, with 10 points collected from 4 matches connected the road, the second-best instrumentality of immoderate broadside successful the division, a statistic that volition promote them travelling to Nijmegen.

Mohamed Ihattaren has been cardinal to their attacking play with 3 goals and 3 assists, portion Edouard Michut has been the club's standout performer by standing this term.

Anthony Descotte and Lequincio Zeefuik person besides chipped successful with 3 league goals apiece, giving Buijs attacking options adjacent erstwhile 1 idiosyncratic is kept quiet.

NEC Eredivisie form:

NEC signifier (all competitions):

Fortuna Sittard Eredivisie form:

Fortuna Sittard signifier (all competitions):

Team News

Bram Nuytinck remains retired with an ankle wounded and is not expected to instrumentality until precocious November, portion Philippe Sandler is besides sidelined, leaving Schreuder's cardinal antiaircraft options stretched for the sojourn of a Fortuna broadside precocious connected confidence.

Emre Mor is simply a further uncertainty with a groin complaint, Tobias Storm has been ruled retired with illness, and Dele Thomas is unavailable, leaving Chery to enarthrosis overmuch of the originative load with respective antiaircraft alternatives missing.

Ivan Marquez continues his lengthy spell connected the sidelines and is yet to marque a azygous quality this season, with his instrumentality inactive described arsenic day-to-day alternatively than imminent.

Yassin Oukili remains retired with a groin wounded and Jasper Dahlhaus is besides unavailable, though Buijs different has the bulk of his preferred options acceptable and acceptable to travel.

NEC imaginable starting lineup:

Crettaz; Fonville, Schuurs, Bras; Bischoff, Nejasmic, Lebreton, Kers; Tadic, Chery; Linssen

Fortuna Sittard imaginable starting lineup:

Branderhorst; Pinto, Hubner, Guth, Van Ottele; Brittijn, Michut, 't Zand; Zeefuik, Descotte, Ihattaren

We say: NEC 1-2 Fortuna Sittard

This looks a finely poised fixture connected paper, but the absences of Nuytinck, Sandler and Storm permission a NEC backmost enactment adjacent thinner than its already humble antiaircraft grounds of 14 goals conceded successful 8 matches would suggest.

Fortuna's superior scoring signifier and the division's second-best distant grounds marque them hard to reason against a NEC broadside without a triumph successful seven, and Ihattaren's caller numbers suggest helium is susceptible of exploiting the gaps an injury-hit defence is apt to offer.

NEC's location advantage, Chery's oculus for extremity and their league-high punishment number should beryllium capable to occupation Branderhorst astatine slightest once, but Sittard's greater attacking extent is expected to borderline a choky contest.

For information investigation of the astir apt results, scorelines and much for this lucifer delight click here.