Fortuna Sittard host FC Twente at the Fortuna Sittard Stadion on 10 October 2026, in Eredivisie Matchweek 8, with three points separating the sides: Fortuna sixth on 13 and Twente fourth on 16. Fortuna came into the international break on a minor high after a 1-0 win at Willem II but their home defensive record has been poor all season and they have yet to keep a clean sheet on their own ground. Twente, meanwhile, beat PSV 3-2 to extend their unbeaten run to five games, which captures the gulf between these sides more accurately than the table does.
Danny Buijs has been at Fortuna since 1 July 2023 and has built a side that wants to press and attack, whereas John van den Brom only took over at Twente on 15 September 2025 after Joseph Oosting left, so there is not much head to head coaching data between the two. The results over recent meetings say more than the managerial record could anyway: Twente have won four of the last five fixtures between these sides, repeatedly finding ways to exploit the vulnerabilities at the Fortuna Sittard Stadion.
Fortuna are without Iván Márquez on a long term basis and also without Yassin Oukili, putting real pressure on the centre of the pitch and the back line and Buijs will have to piece together combinations that have already struggled to keep things tight at home. Twente are missing Stav Lemkin, Sam Lammers and Kristian Hlynsson, thinning their rotation, though with Wout Weghorst scoring in five of his last six matches, the first eleven largely picks itself. Daley Sinkgraven returned to Fortuna on 9 October 2026 after signing a deal until the end of the season following his recovery from an ACL injury but expecting him to walk straight into the starting eleven after such a lengthy layoff seems optimistic and Fortuna's defensive problems are unlikely to resolve themselves for this particular game.
Buijs sets Fortuna up in a 4-3-3 built around a high press and quick transitions. Mohammed Ihattaren tends to find passes between the lines in tight spaces and has contributed goals this season, making him the central figure in any chance Fortuna manufacture and the obvious player for Twente's midfield block to track. Anthony Descotte and Romeny stretch play wide, though without Márquez behind them, the central defensive cover when the press is beaten is precisely the weakness Twente's structure targets. Zerrouki controls the midfield base, which frees Orjasaeter to push into the space Fortuna's press vacates above him and Weghorst is the ball to aim for when the transition begins. With Fortuna's reshuffled centre backs and no Márquez to deal with his hold up play, there is no obvious answer to a striker who has scored in five of his last six matches.
Twente have won four of the last five meetings here and their delivery from set pieces has troubled sides with better organised defences than the one Fortuna are fielding this weekend. With Fortuna's wide men providing crosses rather than defensive cover, the aerial threat at corners and free kicks is an additional concern Buijs will have been working on all week and without Oukili to help screen centrally, the vulnerability extends well beyond open play.
We are going with a 2-1 win for Twente. Ihattaren's ability to pick passes in tight spaces means Fortuna will create something and the home crowd combined with an early press will give them a foothold. But the absences of Márquez and Oukili leave the defence exposed against a side with Weghorst in form and four wins from the last five meetings here. If Fortuna's press pushes too high and Twente score first, Fortuna will be forced to chase the game with a back line short of cover and Sinkgraven unlikely to be fit to start, opening precisely the counter attacking space Twente's shape is built to exploit. Weghorst holds play up, runs the clock down and Fortuna find themselves without the defensive cover to press their way back into it.
Ryan Baldi
Football Writer
Ryan Baldi is a professional football writer with years of experience and has been featured by respected outlets such as the BBC, The Guardian, Sky Sports, DAZN, FourFourTwo, ESPN, Yahoo Sport and Football365. He has also written several books including Arsène Who?.
