Almere City vs. Den Bosch – News and Probable Lineups

With only 90 minutes remaining before securing a spot in the second round of the 2026 Eredivisie relegation/promotion play-offs, Almere City aims to complete the task against Den Bosch at Yanmar Stadion this Saturday.

In a thrilling five-goal battle in the first leg, the hosts currently hold a 3-2 lead heading into this weekend’s fixture, with Den Bosch likely to approach the match aggressively.

Match overview

Although Almere City controlled possession and fashioned more clear opportunities, they found themselves trailing 2-0 at the break during Wednesday’s first encounter.

In an impressive comeback, goals by Jamie Jacobs and Ferdy Druijf within eight minutes brought Jeroen Rijsdijk’s team back level at 2-2, culminating in Marley Dors scoring the winning goal two minutes from time, igniting jubilant celebrations among the away supporters.

This comeback represented the first time since April 2025—a 2-2 draw with PEC Zwolle—that De Zwarte Schapen managed to recover from a two-goal deficit to avoid losing, placing them in a favorable position for the play-off quarter-finals, where De Graafschap awaits.

Looking at their recent form, with no clean sheets in their last seven home matches, Saturday’s hosts understand the necessity of continuing their attacking approach to preserve the good work accomplished in the first leg.

Fortuitously for Almere, they’ve only failed to score in two home encounters this season, one being against Helmond on February 2, then going on to net 11 goals across their subsequent five matches at Yanmar Stadion.

When Kevin Monzialo doubled Den Bosch’s advantage just before half-time on Wednesday, echoes of their 5-2 defeat in November—where Almere allowed four unanswered goals after initially leading 2-1 on their last visit to Stadion de Vliert—were likely vivid in the minds of the home fans.

However, this time it was Ulrich Landvreugd’s men who experienced a distressing comeback, inexplicably surrendering a commanding position and leaving themselves with a tough task to overcome in the return fixture.

Now without a win in five matches, De Blauwwitte Draken must launch an urgent effort to keep their ambitions of returning to the Eredivisie alive after a two-decade absence.

Den Bosch have managed to score 12 goals in their last six away games, seldom failing to find the back of the net, yet their defensive performance during this period has been concerning, having conceded 13 goals—including four to Top Oss in their latest outing.

Nevertheless, Saturday’s visitors can take heart from a 2-1 victory over Almere City on April 6, marking their first away win in this matchup since November 2019.

Team News

Rising star Marley Dors, only 20 years old, is experiencing a breakout season with Almere City, and his man-of-the-match performance in the first leg has further solidified his status.

The leading scorer, Julian Rijkhoff, was unexpectedly left out of the starting lineup in midweek, and his participation this weekend is currently uncertain.

Thijs van Leeuwen had a challenging return to the pitch for Den Bosch but is expected to keep his place in the starting XI.

Back in action, Congo Republic international Kevin Monzialo scored one goal and provided an assist last match, maintaining what is proving to be his most productive season yet.

Almere City probable starting XI:

Kuijsten; Takahashi, Lawrence, Van de Blaak, Reith; El Dahri, De Haan; Dors, Jacobs, Poku; Grape

Den Bosch probable starting XI:

From the Merbel; Laros, Van Grunsven, Maas; Felida, De Vries, Van Leeuwen, Fortes, De Groot; Grach, Monzialo

In each of the last five encounters between Almere City and Den Bosch, both teams have found the back of the net, making it difficult to envision Saturday’s match being any different.

Yet, Almere presents a considerably greater attacking threat, which is expected to lead them to a narrow victory.