On a run of four consecutive victories in all competitions, FC Twente take a trip to the Stadion Galgenwaard to lock horns with FC Utrecht on Wednesday.
The visitors, in stark contrast, have failed to taste victory in any of their most recent four outings and will be aiming to end this dry spell.
Match preview
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FC Utrecht continue to struggle for form in the Eredivisie last Saturday when they were held to a thrilling 2-2 draw by Fortuna Sittard.
In an action-packed contest at the Fortuna Sittard Stadion, Mimoun Mahi and George Cox scored for either side to end the first half level and after Sander van de Streek put the visitors ahead five minutes after the break, Zian Flemming was on deck to restore parity for the second time in the game in the 77th minute.
Utrecht have now failed to taste victory in four consecutive games in all competitions, picking up two draws and losing two, including a 3-2 defeat against NAC Breda on December 14 which saw them crash out of the KNVB beker.
Rene Hake's side have now managed just one win from each of their last seven games, which came when they beat Heracles 1-0 on November 28, and this poor run has seen them drop to seventh place in the Eredivisie table, one point above Cambuur just outside the Conference League playoff places.
This has been in no small part down to their struggles at the defensive end of the pitch as they have conceded 13 goals in that time, while managing just one clean sheet.
However, Utrecht will take pride in their home form this season as they remain the only side yet to taste defeat at home and boast the league's third-best record with 20 points from eight games.
Meanwhile, after securing a 10th-placed finish in the Eredivisie last season, FC Twente will be delighted by their performance in the first half of the season.
Ron Jans's men are currently fourth in the Eredivisie standings, five points behind Feyenoord in the Europa League qualification spot, after picking up 31 points from their first 17 games of the season.
Their impressive run so far has been owing to their performance away from home, where they boast the league's fourth-best record with 16 points from nine games.
The Pride of the East head into Wednesday's game fresh off then back a 3-1 win over PEC Zwolle when the sides squared off at the MAC³PARK Stadion.
In that encounter, Dimitris Limnios, Manfred Ugalde and Virgil Misidjan put the visitors in a commanding three-goal lead inside 52 minutes before substitute Samir Lagsir grabbed a consolation goal for the hosts with one minute left to play.
While Twente will look to keep the juggernaut rolling and strengthen their position in the upper echelons of the table, next up is an opposing side who they have failed to defeat in each of their last seven attempts away from home.
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Team News
Utrecht will take to the pitch without the services of the defensive duo of Christopher Mamengi and Tommy St. Jago, who have both been sidelined through knee injuries.
Hake will also have to make do with the absence of Sylian Mokono, who continues his spell on the injury table after sustaining an injury back in August.
Meanwhile, Twente will be without the services of Kik Pierie and Jody Lukoki, who have both been sidelined through back and knee injuries respectively.
Veteran midfielder Wout Brama will miss his fifth successive game after the 35-year-old picked up a muscle problem in the game against Feyenoord on November 28.
With 10 goal contributions in 16 league games this term, Ricky van Wolfswinkel has been instrumental in Twente's early success and we expect the 32-year-old to lead the line once again.
FC Utrecht possible starting lineup:
Paes; Avest, Hoorn, Janssen, Zagre; Van Maher, Timber; Sylla, Streek, Mahi; Douvikas
FC Twente possible starting lineup:
Unnerstall; Smal, Hilgers, Propper, Troupee; Sadilek, Zerrouki; Vlap, Limnios, Misidjan; Ugalde
We say: FC Utrecht 2-1 FC Twente
There are just three points and three places separating the sides in the table and that should make for an exciting affair on Wednesday. Utrecht have been utterly dominant against Twente when on home turf, claiming six wins from their last six meetings, and we are tipping them to come out on top once again.
Top tip
Joshua Ojele
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a FC Utrecht win with a probability of 57.64%. A draw had a probability of 22.3% and a win for FC Twente had a probability of 20%.
The most likely scoreline for a FC Utrecht win was 1-0 with a probability of 10.47%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (9.92%) and 2-0 (9.82%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (10.57%), while for a FC Twente win it was 0-1 (5.64%). The actual scoreline of 1-1 was predicted with a 10.6% likelihood.
