FC Twente vs Volendam – News and Probable Lineups

Following a week of favorable outcomes that could help fulfill their respective goals at different ends of the Eredivisie rankings, FC Twente and FC Volendam are set to clash in the 30th round at De Grolsch Veste on Friday.

Twente managed to defeat Ajax in Amsterdam for the first time since 2020, climbing ahead of De Joden into fourth place, while the struggling Volendam managed a draw against Feyenoord, aiding their hopes for survival and allowing PSV Eindhoven to claim the title.

Match overview

Gameweek 29 proved to be crucial for Twente as they clinched a 2-1 victory over Ajax at the Johan Cruyff Arena, marking the end of a six-year drought for a win against De Joden and enabling them to leapfrog the Dutch giants in the standings.

This result propelled John van den Brom’s side above the Amsterdam giants, placing them in a potential Europa League position, and the fourth-placed Tukkers could set their sights even higher.

With 50 points amassed over 29 fixtures, Twente still has the possibility of finishing in second or third, with only four points separating them from Feyenoord and three from NEC as they head into the 30th round.

While the Pride of the East have achieved narrow 2-1 victories against Fortuna Sittard and Ajax in consecutive games, their overall performance of winning five of their last six encounters and suffering just a single defeat since October places them in a robust position to potentially secure a Champions League qualification spot by finishing strong this season.

Nonetheless, the only league defeat incurred in the past six months came recently against FC Utrecht in Enschede, and the home side aims to prevent back-to-back losses on their own ground for the first time this season.

Facing Volendam on Friday presents an evidently ideal opportunity for them to resume winning at De Grolsch Veste, although the Tukkers remain cautious of the visiting team’s ability to cause an upset.

Rick Kruys’s team managed to hold second-placed Feyenoord to a goalless draw, thereby ending a string of three consecutive defeats while securing PSV’s title defense. However, the Palingboeren have also triumphed over the champions this season and maintained score draws against Ajax and AZ Alkmaar, along with this weekend’s hosts.

Crucially, these results were achieved in North Holland, where Kruys’s side has gathered 23 of their 28 total points.

Though Heracles has recorded the fewest away points in the division with just four, Volendam is not far behind with five, suffering losses to NAC Breda (1-0), NEC (3-0), and Sparta Rotterdam since their sole away victory at PEC Zwolle in February.

Recent away defeats without scoring come as no surprise, given their tally of just seven goals away from home, the lowest in the league.

Despite holding Feyenoord to a draw at home last week, they remain in danger; a 12th away defeat could drop the 14th-placed Volendam into the relegation playoff zone, with 16th-placed SBV Excelsior just a point below, and NAC in 17th only four points adrift.

Team News

Daan Rots, who was previously an injury doubt ahead of the match against Ajax, will miss the encounter with Volendam due to suspension after picking up several yellow cards.

Mees Hilgers, however, is still sidelined due to a long-term knee injury that has kept him out for the entire season.

Ricky van Wolfswinkel has scored eight goals this season, tying for the team lead with Kristian Hlynsson and Rots, yet the experienced forward is expected to start on the bench behind Sam Lammers, whose five goals and five assists demonstrate his dual threat.

For Volendam, Brandley Kuwas and Robert Muhren have each scored six goals, while the trio of Robin van Cruijsen, Aurelio Oehlers, and Henk Veerman have chipped in with four apiece. However, only Van Cruijsen (two) has found the net more than once away from home among the team’s top scorers.

Veerman, who has only one away goal this season, made his return last week against Feyenoord after a three-month absence, but Kruys will be without the suspended Nick Verschuren and the injured duo of Dave Kwakman (knee) and Silvinho Esajas.

FC Twente probable starting XI:

Unnerstall; Van Rooij, Lemkin, Nijstad, M Rots; Hlynsson, Zerrouki, Van den Belt; Pjaca, Lammers, Orjasaeter

FC Volendam probable starting XI:

Van Oevelen; East, Amevor, Yah, Leliendal; Van Cruijsen, Bacuna, Cocchu; Oehler, Quess, Ideho

Although Volendam has performed admirably to achieve some positive results against top teams this season, their poor away record suggests that another disappointing outcome on the road may be imminent this weekend.

As such, an eighth home victory for Twente in Enschede is anticipated, with the Tukkers likely to move past that mid-March defeat to Utrecht.