Willem II vs Cambuur – News and Probable Lineups

On Sunday, two of the newly promoted teams in the Eredivisie will clash as Willem II takes on Cambuur at the Koning Willem II Stadion during gameweek 10 of the 2026-27 campaign.

Following some rocky beginnings for both teams, the visitors have now steadied their performance, whereas the hosts are still pursuing their first win of the league season.

Match overview

The sound of the final whistle has increasingly become one of despair for Willem II, as they allowed a lead to slip away for the second consecutive match in Saturday’s 3-2 defeat to Sparta Rotterdam, where Tonny Vilhena’s early goal and Uriel van Aalst’s strike were ultimately in vain.

This latest loss proved to be the final straw for John Stegeman, who became the second head coach to lose his job this season.

Adrie Koster now returns as the interim manager, having previously led the club from July 2018 to January 2021, and also had a brief spell from July 1990 to June 1991.

His previous departure ended a dismal run of ten matches without a win (L8, D2), leading to a sense of skepticism among the Willem II supporters despite Koster’s temporary appointment, as the 71-year-old will be eager to begin his new tenure positively.

Willem II has struggled against Cambuur, failing to secure a victory in their last seven encounters dating back to when both clubs were last in the top division before their recent promotions, with their last win against Cambuur dating back to 2015.

After conceding a league-high 26 goals and managing only nine scored, the Saturday hosts have significant work to do in order to rectify their season’s trajectory. Nonetheless, as has been demonstrated frequently, a shift in management could be the catalyst for improvement.

Similar to Willem II, Cambuur initially struggled with the transition to the top flight, not winning any of their first five matches until they secured a convincing 3-0 triumph over NEC in their penultimate game before the international break.

They followed that success with a narrow 1-0 victory over PEC Zwolle, flanked by draws against ADO Den Haag and the latest match against AZ Alkmaar, where they managed to hold on despite Devid Bouah’s red card early in the second half.

Currently, the Yellow-Blues stand as one of only three teams, alongside Ajax and early league leaders Feyenoord, who remain unbeaten in their last five league outings, having claimed nine points out of a possible 15, with only the leaders conceding fewer goals in that period.

A significant aspect of Cambuur’s revival has been their ability to start matches with intensity, scoring the first goal in each of their last five fixtures. They will aim to capitalize on this trend against a Willem II side that has conceded first in five of their last six matches.

With upcoming matches against Kloetinge and Go Ahead Eagles concluding their October schedule, Saturday’s visitors have a prime opportunity to conclude the month positively before taking on reigning champions PSV Eindhoven to kick off November.

Team News

Willem II will be without Amine Lachkar (groin) and Justin Hoogma (knee), with Lachkar yet to feature this season after an injury sustained last July.

Goalkeepers Thomas Didillon and Wouter van der Steen are both out, leaving Maxime Delanghe to continue in goal.

Additionally, Armin Culum (foot) is on the sidelines, while Kasper Boogaard made a return to the bench in the last game.

Jamal Amofa is ruled out for the entire season due to a cruciate ligament injury, whereas Daan Visser is progressing with his recovery from a similar issue.

Wout Asselman is still unfit for selection, and Devid Bouah is serving a suspension, adding to Cambuur’s list of four absentees.

Willem II probable starting XI:

Delanghe; Ter Avest, Stam, Dekker, Tjoe-A-On; Zarrouk, Vilhena; Slory, Van Aalst, Van Crooy; Haen

Cambuur probable starting XI:

Jansen; Costarelli, Van Duijl, Baouf, Berkhout; Souren, Maertens; Hamache, El Arguioui, Ceka; Binder

Heading into Saturday’s fixture, Cambuur holds the advantage, where a loss could see Willem II in peril of a swift return to the Eerste Divisie.

The hosts’ average of one goal per game is expected to persist, but their defensive weaknesses indicate they may once again leave the field empty-handed.