Willem II vs Almere City – News and Probable Lineups

Willem II is just a match away from securing their spot in the final of the 2026 Eredivisie promotion play-offs as they face Almere City at Koning Willem II Stadion this Saturday evening.

With a slight one-goal edge after their first leg on Wednesday, the home team holds the advantage against Almere City, who need to achieve victory for only the third time in their last 13 encounters to progress.

Match overview

Willem II has been the strongest performer in the promotion play-offs, finishing their Eerste Divisie season with five consecutive wins, and that success has continued to manifest.

John Stegeman’s squad triumphed 2-1 against RKC Waalwijk in the initial round, with a decisive 1-0 victory away after a 1-1 deadlock in the return leg, where the Tilburg-based side may feel they deserved more despite having only 36% possession.

Maintaining their formidable away form, De Superkruiken achieved their seventh successive away win by defeating Almere 1-0 in the semi-final first leg, positioning themselves strongly for the final, with FC Volendam awaiting if the current situation remains unchanged.

While Willem II is certainly envisioning a swift return to the top division after their recent relegation, they need to finish the job this weekend before their supporters.

Unbeaten in their last eight matches—each in which they have scored first—Willem II aims to secure a strong start once again and put pressure on their struggling opponents.

After starting strongly in the play-offs with three wins and scoring a total of nine goals, Almere has seen a decline in performance, managing only a 2-2 draw against De Graafschap in their quarter-final second leg before falling to Willem II.

Nevertheless, Jeroen Rijsdijk’s team will arrive in Tilburg hopeful for a comeback, though they need to rectify their defensive shortcomings away from home, as they have conceded at least twice in four straight away games.

De Zwarte Schapen also need to enhance their attacking performance; despite having significant possession during Wednesday’s first leg, they ultimately did not convert that pressure into worthwhile opportunities.

Similar to Willem II, Almere descended to the Eerste Divisie following relegation in the 2024–25 season. However, only one team will have the chance to reclaim their place in Dutch football’s top tier later this month.

The last time Almere faced Willem II in the play-offs, they were decisively beaten 6-2 on aggregate back in 2016 and now must deliver a significant response to avoid more disappointment at this level a decade later.

Team News

Willem II has no injury updates, with Alessandro Ciranni, Amine Lachkar, Jari Schuurman, and Anas Zarrouk all likely to be sidelined once more.

Despite the disappointment of missing a penalty that would have given his side a stronger advantage in the first leg, Mounir El Allouchi is expected to feature for the third consecutive match.

Raffael Behounek has been a consistent presence for the hosts since November 25, creating a strong partnership with Justin Hoogma.

Ferdy Druijf has scored in three of Almere’s last four away fixtures, including April’s encounter with Willem II, making him a player to watch this time around.

Willem II probable starting XI:

Didillon; Stam, Behounek, Hoogma, Tjoe a On; Doodeman, Twigt, Besselink, El Allouchi; Haen, Baartmans

Almere City probable starting XI:

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

In recent encounters, Willem II has generally had the upper hand against Almere. Although Saturday’s match is predicted to be challenging, we still anticipate the hosts to secure a win and capitalize on their first-leg lead.