FC Utrecht welcome PEC Zwolle to the Galgenwaard on 24 October 2026, a fixture that finds the hosts riding back to back wins while Zwolle arrive carrying the second worst goal difference in the Eredivisie.
Eredivisie Matchweek 10 finds Utrecht 11th with 11 points from nine games, whereas Zwolle sit 15th on seven and need at least a point here to avoid a fourth loss in five, with a Utrecht win making it three successive victories under Anthony Correia.
Correia took charge on 1 July 2026 after replacing Ron Jans and the interim duo of Dennis van der Ree and Maikel van der Werff assumed control of Zwolle in mid October 2026 following the dismissal of Henry van der Vegt, meaning these coaches have never previously faced each other in senior football.
Utrecht come in off a 2-1 win at FC Twente on 18 October 2026 and a 3-1 home win over Willem II the week before, five goals scored across those two games with their overall run reading WWLWD. Zwolle's WLLLD stretch includes a standout 4-1 derby win over Go Ahead Eagles but losses before and after it leave the picture looking grim.
Utrecht's injury list is long and damaging: Alonzo Engwanda (hamstring), Kevin Paredes (knee), Miliano Jonathans (ACL) and Victor Jensen (knee) are all out, with Artem Stepanov and Vasilis Barkas listed as doubts, leaving the wide areas and central midfield depth stretched. Zwolle are without F. Krastev and Y. Namli, with Sherel Floranus also a doubt and the gaps those absences open in their 4-2-3-1 are not subtle.
Correia has moved Utrecht toward a 3-4-3, with Angel Alarcon as the central reference point in attack and Yoann Cathline cutting in from the left. Dani de Wit dictates from deeper and, without Engwanda and Paredes, will carry more defensive screening responsibility than usual. Cathline's diagonal runs from wide left are the likeliest mechanism for pulling Zwolle's back line apart, particularly with Floranus potentially absent on that flank.
Zwolle's plan is to stay compact and hit on the break, built around Sydney van Hooijdonk as the lone striker with Ryan Thomas threading passes from deep. The volume of goals they have conceded this season sits uneasily with that approach: a compact defence only holds when the defending is actually good and on the evidence of this campaign Zwolle's has fallen well short of that. Whether Utrecht can sustain pressure long enough is the real tactical question, if Thomas finds pockets between Utrecht's wing backs, that is the likeliest route to a Zwolle goal, though the gaps in their own defensive structure remain the greater concern.
Utrecht are unbeaten in the last five meetings with Zwolle, winning three and drawing two. The most recent encounters ended 1-1 in February 2026 and 2-0 to Utrecht in August 2025 and matches between these sides have averaged more than three goals per game.
Van Hooijdonk's aerial ability at set pieces is the obvious danger if Zwolle can stifle Utrecht's open play rhythm, though Utrecht have improved their delivery from wide areas under Correia. The defensive absences on both sides demand extra discipline around each team's own box and the injury lists add enough uncertainty to make the scoreline genuinely hard to call.
We're going 2-0 to FC Utrecht. Alarcon's movement combined with Cathline's creativity should eventually pull Zwolle's depleted defence apart and the Floranus doubt only makes the left channel more exploitable. Utrecht should win but a one-goal margin looks more likely than a comfortable one, the second goal probably coming only as Zwolle push men forward late.
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?.
