All but condemned to automatic relegation from the Eredivisie, RKC Waalwijk will host Go Ahead Eagles on the final day of the season on Sunday.
The hosts trail 16th-placed Willem II by three points with an inferior goal difference, while their visitors are likely unable to catch sixth-placed Twente.
Match preview
RKC Waalwijk head into the final game of the Eredivisie season in need of a big victory to stand a chance of a relegation playoff, having endured another tough campaign in the Dutch top flight.
After finishing above the relegation playoff place on goal difference last time around, they now find themselves 17th having only picked up 22 points from their 33 outings, winning just five and losing 21 of those.
Only one of those victories has come in their last 11 attempts since mid-February, following up a nine-game winless streak by beating Heerenveen 3-1 on home turf last weekend.
Then trailing the relegation playoff place by three points with two games remaining, Henk Fraser‘s side failed to narrow the gap with a crucial result last time out, visiting third-placed Feyenoord and leaving empty-handed as Igor Paixao and Ayase Ueda scored in a 2-0 home triumph.
Now sitting in the relegation zone and trailing that playoff place by three points, with a goal difference 10 goals weaker than that of 16th-placed Willem II, RKC Waalwijk head into Sunday’s contest needing a miraculous victory and a heavy defeat for Willem II to stand a chance of fighting for their top-flight status.
They face a tough test, though, with the visitors fighting to end a historic campaign on a high at the weekend.
In a season which has seen them lift the KNVB Cup for the first time in their history in April, Go Ahead Eagles head into the final day of the season in seventh spot in the Eredivisie, having earned 51 points from their 33 outings, winning 14 and losing 10 of those.
They moved onto 44 points from 26 games with three straight wins in March, only to see their momentum slow in the league as a six-match winless run followed, culminating in a 3-0 loss to AZ Alkmaar and a 1-1 draw away at PEC Zwolle.
Aiming to end the campaign on a high, Paul Simonis‘s side then hosted Heerenveen in midweek and succeeded in returning to winning ways as Mathis Suray netted the only goal in the dying minutes.
Now sitting seventh with European football awaiting next season, but three points behind sixth-placed Twente with an inferior goal difference, Go Ahead Eagles will aim to make it back-to-back three point hauls to end a memorable season at the weekend.
Team News
RKC Waalwijk head into the final day without Ilias Takidine, Yanick van Osch, Dario Van den Buijs, Richard van der Venne and Daouda Weidmann due to ongoing injuries.
Attacker Oskar Zawada is a fresh concern after being forced off early in their midweek defeat to Feyenoord, and Michiel Kramer should take his spot up front from the outset.
Richonell Margaret should complete the front line in the absence of top scorer Zawada, while Tim van de Loo, Mohamed Ihattaren and Yassin Oukili should all keep their places in the engine room.
Go Ahead Eagles could be unchanged from their midweek win, with Soren Tengstedt, Calvin Twigt and Julius Dirken confined to the treatment room.
Victor Edvardsen will continue to lead the line in their 4-2-3-1 shape, while Mathis Suray will offer support through the centre after hitting his third goal of the season to decide their contest with Heerenveen.
Elsewhere, Robbin Weijenberg will again hope to get the nod alongside mainstay Evert Linthorst at the base of the midfield.
RKC Waalwijk possible starting lineup:
Spenkelink; Lelieveld, Al Mazyani, Van Eijma, Van Gelderen, Familia-Castillo; Van De Loo, Ihattaren, Oukili; Kramer, Margaret
Go Ahead Eagles possible starting lineup:
De Busser; Deijl, Nauber, Kramer, Adelgaard; Linthorst, Weijenberg; Antman, Suray, Sivertsen; Edvardsen
We say: RKC Waalwijk 1-2 Go Ahead Eagles
With the hosts having limped towards the end of the season with nothing left to play for and the visitors vying to end a strong campaign successfully, we back Go Ahead Eagles to take all three points on the final day.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
