Preview: Cambuur vs. Fortuna Sittard - prediction, team news, lineups

Sittard also managed to win last time out against Heerenveen but is was Cambuur who pulled off the most notable victory, defeating relegation rivals Groningen to move themselves off the bottom of the league standings.

Match preview

Before Thursday evening, Cambuur had not tasted victory in the Eredivisie since that famous success over PSV Eindhoven at the start of October - a game which Henk de Jong's side remarkably won 3-0.

Thankfully for Cambuur, that run of nine league matches without a win ended against fellow-strugglers Groningen this week courtesy of a second-half strike from midfielder Daniel van Kaam.

That win has seen De Jong's men move above the Pride of the North on goal difference heading into this weekend's round of fixtures, now just three points from safety in the Eredivisie standings.

Second-season syndrome has certainly hit the Leeuwarden-based club after finishing ninth last season on their return to the Dutch top flight, however despite that anything other than relegation would be a productive season for The Yellow-Blues this time around.

Fortuna recorded their first victory since returning from the World Cup break on Wednesday night when they beat Kees van Wonderen's Heerenveen 2-0 at Fortuna Sittard Stadion.

Goals from Umaro Embalo and Burak Yilmaz secured a much-needed win for Sittard, who managed to move themselves further away from danger with a vital three points.

The clean sheet collected against Heerenveen was Fortuna's first since the 0-0 draw with RKC Waalwijk in October, a statistic that highlights a reason why Julio Velazquez has been unable to get his side competing at the top end of the Eredivisie this season.

The aforementioned Yilmaz now has seven goals for the campaign after netting against Heerenveen on Wednesday, with the 37-year-old a real talisman for a side who have a lot of young talent within their ranks.

Cambuur Eredivisie form:

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L

L

D

L

W

Fortuna Sittard Eredivisie form:

L

W

L

D

L

W

Team News

Cambuur will remain without midfielder Robin Maulun until next month after the 26-year-old picked up a knock in the stalemate with Emmen earlier in the month, meaning Mees Hoedemakers and Jamie Jacobs should retain their places in the XI.

De Jong will be in the mood to reward the XI that earned three points last time out against Groningen, however the Cambuur boss may decide the freshen up the side by bringing 21-year-old Remco Balk into the team from the start.

Velazquez is expected to name an unchanged XI from the side who beat Heerenveen on Wednesday, with centre-back duo Ximo Navarro and Rodrigo Guth looking to record back-to-back clean sheets.

Winger Tijjani Noslin has been limited to mainly substitute appearances over the past month and with Embalo netting his second of the season last time out, the Dutch attacker is expected to be left out of the XI once again.

Cambuur possible starting lineup:

Ruiter; Schmidt, Tol, Smand, Bangura; Van Kaam, Jacobs, Hoedemakers; Breij, Van der Water, Paulissen

Fortuna Sittard possible starting lineup:

Pandur; Pinto, Navarro, Guth, Cox; Bistrovic, Ferati, Cordoba, Ozyakup, Embalo; Yilmaz

We say: Cambuur 1-1 Fortuna Sittard

Cambuur are coming into this clash after a crucial win over Groningen, but they now face a Fortuna side buoyed by their recent success over Heerenveen.

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