🏏 Sat, 19 Sep 2026 21:00 CEST
Willem II
vs
Fortuna Sittard
4-2-3-1 vs 4-3-3
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- Willem II are rock bottom in 18th after six matches, with two points from no wins, two draws and four defeats. Six goals scored against 19 conceded leaves them on -13, a difficult start at both ends of the pitch. They are level on points with 17th-placed ADO Den Haag (-10), so a first victory of the season would flip the bottom two. Fortuna Sittard arrive eighth on 10 points from three wins, a draw and two losses — an eight-point gap.
- Home form has been a problem for the hosts. They were beaten 1-4 by NEC Nijmegen in round two and 0-3 by Excelsior in round five, and could only draw 2-2 with Heerenveen in round four. The encouraging note came last time out: a 1-1 draw away at second-placed AZ Alkmaar, who sit on 16 points, showing they can compete when the defence holds its shape.
- Fortuna's strength has been winning tight games on the road. They took all three points at Groningen (3-2) in round four and repeated the trick at ADO Den Haag (3-2) in round five, both by a single goal. With 12 scored and 14 conceded in six outings, plus a 3-1 home win over Cambuur in round two, they are an open side — capable of scoring anywhere, but rarely comfortable at the back.
- Both teams have an identical scar on their record: a 1-5 hammering by Ajax, Willem II away in round three and Fortuna at home in round six. The hosts have shipped 19 goals in six games, while Fortuna have conceded 14. With two leaky defences facing off, the first goal carries more weight than usual.
- Willem II line up 4-2-3-1 against Fortuna's 4-3-3. The hosts' attacking band features 20-year-old academy graduate Uriel van Aalst and 19-year-old Ezel Gürbüz, signed from Heerenveen, with 23-year-old Calvin Twuijft — 183cm and combative in the duels after spells at Volendam and Go Ahead Eagles — screening alongside the 31-year-old Vilhena. Making that mix of youth and experience function is the hosts' central problem.
- Fortuna's creative hub is 24-year-old Mohamed Ihattaren, the left-footed attacking midfielder once hailed as a prodigy in the PSV academy, whose career has taken him through Juventus, Sampdoria, Ajax and RKC Waalwijk before this reset. Beside him is Mische, the 23-year-old Frenchman who was labelled the 'new Verratti' in PSG's academy and has since played for Sunderland and Adana Demirspor, using his left foot to set the tempo.
- Fortuna's back line has a Japanese connection. Justin Hubner, 23, is a 187cm centre-back who came through the Wolverhampton Wanderers academy, spent time in J1 with Cerezo Osaka, and took Indonesian citizenship in 2023 before making his international debut. He is partnered by 191cm Brazilian Rodrigo Guth, a product of Atalanta's youth system. That tall pairing must handle 22-year-old Devin Haan, the 183cm Feyenoord-raised forward leading the Willem II line.
- There is a reunion on the home bench. Alessandro Ciranni, the 30-year-old Belgian full-back, moved from Mouscron to Fortuna Sittard earlier in his career and has also played for MVV and Genk. At 172cm he relies on positioning and one-v-one reliability rather than size, and his job is to steady a defence that includes teenagers such as 19-year-old Jens Matthijssen — knowledge of his old club could matter if he is introduced.
- The right flank pits two overlapping CVs against each other. Willem II right-back Hidde ter Avest, 29, was a long-serving regular at Utrecht and Twente and also played in England for Oxford United, making him the most decorated man in the home squad. Fortuna's 189cm forward Ole Romeny, 26, also passed through FC Utrecht and Oxford United before choosing to represent Indonesia despite being born in the Netherlands; his hold-up play will stretch the back four.
- Both benches offer aerial power late on. Fortuna can call on 197cm 21-year-old striker Zeefuik, on loan from AZ Alkmaar, plus 31-year-old Swedish winger Peterson, who scored 12 goals for Heracles in 2018-19. Willem II counter with 192cm 34-year-old Thomas Verheydt and 188cm Danish teenager Chidozie Obi-Martin, who arrived at 18 via Manchester United — a promising set of options if the game turns into a late aerial battle.