Get to know Dutch friendly opposition Willem II before City's pre-season tour of Holland
Team: Willem II
Stadium: Koning Willem II Stadion
League: Eerste Divisie
Manager: Jurgen Streppel
While Willem II will be the only Dutch second tier side the Sky Blues will face during their tour of the Netherlands they are also the only side of the three that have sampled Champions League football in its modern format.
The club was relegated at the end of the 2012/13 campaign meaning they face the prospect of second tier football for only the second time in the last 26 years.
The Tricolores finished 18th in the Eredivisie last season but have enjoyed past success, winning two KNVB cups and three National Championships, the most recent being in 1955, the year before the creation of the Dutch Eredivisie.
Five facts on Willem II
- Former notable players at the club include Dutch international stars Jaap Stam and Marc Overmars as well as long-time Liverpool favourite Sami Hyypia.
- The vertical red, white and blue stripes on their home kit are designed to mirror the colours of the Dutch national flag.
- The club, and its stadium, are named after Dutch king William II who reigned from 1840 to 1849
- Despite never winning the Eredivisie, Willem II are in fact the first club to win the Dutch national title as a professional outfit after professional football was introduced in Holland in 1954-55.
- Willem II fans share a reportedly close relationship with Bristol City fans after Robins supporters apparently sang songs about William II.