Croatia
Indonesia
Nigeria
South Africa

Willem IIvs.Heerenveen

sportsmole.co.uk, 6 December 2024, 09:28
Separated by just one point in the bottom half of the Eredivisie table, Willem II and Heerenveen will do battle in an important contest at the Koning Willem II Stadion.

The visited extended their lead over the relegation zone to four points with a draw last Friday, while their hosts have dropped to 11th spot in the midst of a tricky spell.

Match preview

Willem II head into the weekend aiming to climb back towards the Eredivisie's top half, having slipped down the table in recent weeks due to a tough run of form.

After winning promotion from the Dutch second tier last time around, the Tricolores enjoyed a pleasing start to the top-flight campaign, sitting eighth after nine outings having earned 12 points including three wins and just three defeats.

They have since put just one more victory and four more points in the last five attempts since late October though, firstly suffering back-to-back defeats to Ajax and Twente before picking up an impressive 2-1 away win over AZ Alkmaar.

After then coming from behind to draw 2-2 with NAC Breda thanks to an injury-time Jeremy Bokila leveller, Peter Maes's side most recently visited strugglers Groningen last Friday and left empty-handed as Thijs Oosting and Stije Resink netted goals either side of the interval in a 2-0 home win.

As a result of their dip in form, Willem II now sit 11th in their first season back in the Eredivisie, but with a five-point cushion over the drop zone and a two-point gap up to the top half, they will hope to quickly improve their standing again with a return to winning ways on Sunday.

Their visitors, meanwhile, will bid to leapfrog the hosts and move further clear of the bottom three at the weekend having strengthened their position in the fight for survival recently.

After nine games of the Eredivisie campaign, Heerenveen sat in the relegation playoff place on just eight points, but they have since added seven more points to that tally in five further attempts, picking up 2-0 and 1-0 wins at home to Sparta Rotterdam and Go Ahead Eagles respectively alongside away defeats to Fortuna Sittard and Feyenoord.

Indeed, away form is certainly an issue for Robin Van Persie's side, who have lost all seven of their league games on the road this term, conceding 23 goals and only scoring twice along the way, while they remain unbeaten on home turf.

After that most recent 3-0 loss to third-placed Feyenoord, De Superfriezen most recently hosted then-basement-side RKC Waalwijk last Friday and looked set to pick up a 1-0 victory thanks to Levi Smans's first-half goal, only to be held to a disappointing draw as Mohamed Ihattaren converted an injury-time penalty for the visitors.

Having now moved four points clear of the bottom three with their recent upturn in form, Heerenveen will now bid to end their dismal run away from home and pick up a first victory on their travel to move further into the mid-table pack.

Willem II Eredivisie form:

D

L

L

W

D

L

Heerenveen Eredivisie form:

L

W

L

W

L

D

Team News

Willem II continue to deal with several injury issues heading into the weekend, with defender Valentino Vermeulen, midfielder Dani Mathieu and winger Amar Fatah remaining confined to the treatment room.

Westerlo loanee Kyan Vaesen will continue to lead their attack, having netted a team-high tally of six goals in 15 appearances this term.

Cisse Sandra and Ringo Meerveld will offer further attacking support in their 4-2-3-1 setup, while Amine Lachkar should again get the nod alongside Jesse Bosch in the engine room.

Robin van Persie should field field a similar Heerenveen starting XI from last week's draw with RKC Waalwijk, with Levi Smans bound to continue in the middle of a supporting trio in a 4-2-3-1 shape after netting the opening goal in that game.

He will be joined by Alireza Jahanbakhsh, who made his first start for the club last week having recently arrived on a free transfer after last turning out for Feyenoord last season, although winger Jacob Trenskow, who leads the squad with five goals alongside three assists in 15 games this season, will likely miss out after being forced off in the first half against RKC Waalwijk.

Willem II possible starting lineup:

Didillon-Hodl; Tirpan, St. Jago, Behounek, Nizet; Lachkar, Bosch; Kehrer, Sandra, Meerveld; Vaesen

Heerenveen possible starting lineup:

Van Der Hart; Kersten, Hopland, Bochniewicz, Braude; Van Ee, Brouwers; Sebaoui, Smans, Jahanbakhsh; Nicolaescu

We say: Willem II 1-0 Heerenveen

Written by

Sam Varley

Previews by email

Top News

23 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk The January transfer window is almost here and clubs around the UK and Europe are lining up moves as they look to take advantage of the opportunity to strengthen. 23 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Hatayspor vs. Adana Demirspor (Monday, 5.00pm) The battle of the bottom feeders in the Turkish Super Lig unfolds on Monday as Hatayspor host Adana Demirspor at the Mersin Stadyumu. 23 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Benfica vs. Estoril (Monday, 6.45pm) Separated by 10 places in the Primeira Liga table before gameweek 15, second-placed Benfica are clear favourites to outdo Estoril Praia at Estadio da Luz on Monday. 23 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Fiorentina vs. Udinese (Monday, 5.30pm) After their incredible success streak was finally brought to an end last week, Fiorentina will aim to start another winning run on Monday, when they meet Udinese. 23 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Yemen and Saudi Arabia will celebrate Christmas Day by facing each other on matchday two of the Arabian Gulf Cup on Wednesday at Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium in Kuwait City. 23 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk First place in Group B of the Arabian Gulf Cup will be at stake on Wednesday as Bahrain and Iraq celebrate Christmas Day at Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium in Kuwait. 23 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United transfer target Randal Kolo Muani is very likely to leave Paris Saint-Germain in the January transfer window, according to reports. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City have reportedly set their sights on West Ham United attacker Mohammed Kudus, with Pep Guardiola keen to strengthen his struggling squad. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United are reportedly set to rival Arsenal for the signature of Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic in the summer of 2025. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk The final Premier League gameweek before Christmas appropriately served up some crackers, including a festive feast of goals in North London, where Liverpool ran riot in an exhilarating 6-3 win over Tottenham Hotspur. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Even when the pulse settled a little after this compellingspectacle it was still difficult to know quite where to start todissect this nine-goal thriller. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Ange Postecoglou cut an irritated figure as he claimed he's going to stop answering questions about Tottenham's tactics. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Tottenham Hotspur have supposedly expressed an interest in signing Borussia Dortmund attacker Julian Brandt next month. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool's Mohamed Salah refused to give anything away when asked whether he could break Ian Rush's all-time goalscoring record after the Reds' remarkable 6-3 win over Tottenham Hotspur. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool's astonishing 6-3 Premier League win over Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday evening saw a multitude of records and achievements surpassed, as the Reds moved four points clear at the top of the table. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Al-Ahli have reportedly emerged as the favourites to sign Marcus Rashford, with the Manchester United attacker widely expected to be on the move during the January transfer window. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Everton have become surprise leaders in one statistic across Europe thanks to their draw at home to Chelsea. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool will spend Christmas Day four points clear at the top of the Premier League table thanks to a breathtaking 6-3 win over Tottenham Hotspur in North London. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Kylian Mbappe struck a landmark effort to put himself firmly among Real Madrid's elite. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has insisted that he is "absolutely happy" with his side's goalless draw at Everton on Sunday. 22 December 2024 talksport.com If you thought Mohamed Salah couldn't set yet another record, think again. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk For a second time in successive Gulf Cup competitions, The United Arab Emirates and Kuwait will meet in the group stage, with this upcoming game taking place on Tuesday at Jaber Al-Amad International Stadium in Kuwait City. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Bayer Leverkusen defender Jeremie Frimpong is supposedly not a 'concrete target' for Liverpool amid speculation over Trent Alexander-Arnold's future. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid moved into second spot in the La Liga table courtesy of a 4-2 success over Sevilla in Sunday afternoon's contest at Bernabeu, with Los Blancos ending 2024 on a high note. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Oman and Qatar will compete in the Gulf Cup for the first time in over a decade on Tuesday at Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium, each seeking their first victory in this edition of the tournament. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona have reportedly received offers from three clubs for defender Eric Garcia, but the player is pushing against a move away from Catalonia during the January transfer window. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United have broken two unwanted club Premier League records in their humiliating 3-0 home defeat to Bournemouth. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk New Wolverhampton Wanderers' boss Vitor Pereira earned three points when his side comfortably beat Ruud van Nistelrooy's Leicester City 3-0 away from home on Sunday afternoon in the Premier League. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Aaron Ramsdale was spotted wearing a modified goalkeeper glove in Southampton's Premier League clash at Fulham. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea squandered the chance to go top of the Premier League table for a couple of hours as Everton held the Blues to a goalless stalemate at Goodison Park.