NEC Nijmegen host Fortuna Sittard at Goffertstadion on Sunday for a round-nine Eredivisie meeting between two sides stuck in the division's congested midsection.

The afternoon also carries a personal subplot, with forward Kaj Sierhuis set to face his former club for the first time since his summer move from Sittard to Nijmegen.

Match preview

Dick Schreuder's side sit 11th in the Eredivisie table with nine points from eight matches, a record of two wins, three draws and three losses that already leaves them 11 points off leaders Feyenoord this early in the campaign.

NEC have not won in seven matches across all competitions, a sequence that stretches back through a Europa League draw with Levski Sofia and includes back-to-back league draws against Go Ahead Eagles and Ajax either side of a 3-0 defeat at Cambuur.

Continental football has added to a congested autumn for Schreuder's squad, and their league form has suffered for it, with only five goals scored in their last five Eredivisie outings and just two points collected from four matches at Goffertstadion this season.

Captain Tjaronn Chery remains the side's attacking focal point regardless, leading the squad with four league goals and two assists, and NEC have won more penalties than any other side in the division this season with three.

Their most recent league meeting with Sunday's visitors ended badly, a 2-3 home defeat at Goffertstadion in February in which Chery and Bryan Linssen scored for NEC either side of goals from Ivan Marquez, Mohamed Ihattaren and Justin Hubner.

Schreuder will want a reaction in front of his own supporters, aware that an eighth match without victory would push NEC closer to the bottom half than the places they targeted over the summer.

Danny Buijs's team arrive in considerably healthier form, sitting seventh on 14 points from four wins, two draws and two losses in their eight matches so far.

Fortuna have won three of their last five fixtures and scored nine goals in that period, the kind of attacking return that has kept them in the top half of the table through the opening two months of the season.

Their only blemish in that run was a chastening 1-5 home defeat to Ajax in September, though they steadied themselves with a 1-0 win at Willem II and a 1-1 draw against FC Twente last time out.

Fortuna's away form has been a particular strength this season, with 10 points collected from four matches on the road, the second-best return of any side in the division, a statistic that will encourage them travelling to Nijmegen.

Mohamed Ihattaren has been central to their attacking play with three goals and three assists, while Edouard Michut has been the club's standout performer by rating this term.

Anthony Descotte and Lequincio Zeefuik have also chipped in with three league goals apiece, giving Buijs attacking options even when one individual is kept quiet.

NEC Eredivisie form:

NEC form (all competitions):

Fortuna Sittard Eredivisie form:

Fortuna Sittard form (all competitions):

Team News

Bram Nuytinck remains out with an ankle injury and is not expected to return until late November, while Philippe Sandler is also sidelined, leaving Schreuder's central defensive options stretched for the visit of a Fortuna side high on confidence.

Emre Mor is a further doubt with a groin complaint, Tobias Storm has been ruled out with illness, and Dele Thomas is unavailable, leaving Chery to shoulder much of the creative burden with several defensive alternatives missing.

Ivan Marquez continues his lengthy spell on the sidelines and is yet to make a single appearance this season, with his return still described as day-to-day rather than imminent.

Yassin Oukili remains out with a groin injury and Jasper Dahlhaus is also unavailable, though Buijs otherwise has the bulk of his preferred options fit and ready to travel.

NEC possible starting lineup:

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

Fortuna Sittard possible 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 on paper, but the absences of Nuytinck, Sandler and Storm leave a NEC back line even thinner than its already modest defensive record of 14 goals conceded in eight matches would suggest.

Fortuna's superior scoring form and the division's second-best away record make them difficult to oppose against a NEC side without a win in seven, and Ihattaren's recent numbers suggest he is capable of exploiting the gaps an injury-hit defence is likely to offer.

NEC's home advantage, Chery's eye for goal and their league-high penalty count should be enough to trouble Branderhorst at least once, but Sittard's greater attacking depth is expected to edge a tight contest.

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