Farioli on squad fitness, the past month, and Fortuna Sittard

Resurgent Fortuna hot on the heels of Willem II

After suffering their first defeat of 2023 at the hands of Telstar, Fortuna Sittard got back to winning ways last weekend with a slender 1-0 away win over Jong AZ to continue their push for promotion to the Eredivisie.

Sjors Ultee's men now sit just one point behind second-placed Willem II and will be confident of maintaining their position inside the promotion places when they host bottom side FC Dordrecht on Friday night.

Fortuna Sittard's resurgence has coincided with the return to fitness of key players, including striker Sebastian Polter and midfielder Zian Flemming, who have both scored in their last two games.

Farioli happy with squad's fitness levels

Speaking ahead of the game against Dordrecht, Fortuna Sittard manager Julio Velazquez was pleased with the fitness levels of his squad.

"The players are in good shape," he said. "We've had a few injuries, but everyone is now back and available for selection."

"We've had a tough month, but we've come through it well. The players have shown great character and determination, and I'm confident that we can continue our good form."

Tough month for Fortuna Sittard

Fortuna Sittard have had a challenging month, with their defeat to Telstar coming after they were knocked out of the KNVB Cup by Ajax.

However, Velazquez believes that his team have learned from their mistakes and are now ready to push on.

"We made some mistakes against Telstar and Ajax," he said. "But we've learned from those mistakes and we're now ready to move on."

"We have a big game against Dordrecht on Friday night, and we're confident that we can get the win."