FC Utrecht are set to welcome Fortuna Sittard on Saturday, as the hosts hope to come back from a narrow 2-1 defeat against PSV Eindhoven last weekend.
Sittard, meanwhile, will be pleased with their 2-1 win over Heracles last Friday, with their latest victory managing to take them out of the relegation zone.
Match preview
Utrecht have endured a pretty poor start to the 2020-21 season, having gained just two wins thus far, putting them in 10th place in the Eredivisie table.
However, it is worth noting that they have also picked up six draws this term - the most of any side in the league alongside PEC Zwolle, who currently sit on the same amount of points.
As previously mentioned, their latest league fixture witnessed a narrow loss against an impressive PSV side, including a goal from Mimoun Mahi in the latter stages of the game.
They were last seen in action against Ajax in the KNVB Cup on Wednesday, which witnessed a nine-goal thriller in Amsterdam, ending in a 5-4 win to Erik ten Hag's men as they knocked Utrecht out of the competition.
However, new coach Rene Hake will need to focus his attention back to the Eredivisie this Saturday, with the club failing to pick up a league win since October.
On the other hand, Sittard will be in high spirits as they head into this game, managing their first two wins on the bounce over the last few weeks.
Their first league win came against Willem II just two weeks ago, when Sjors Ultee's men gained a 3-2 victory against their opponents, featuring a red card for Willem's Pol Llonch in the 88th minute.
Last weekend, Sittard then managed a 2-1 win over Heracles, with the side able to climb out of the relegation zone, currently sitting in 14th place in the table.
In terms of their head to head record, Sittard have managed just two wins in their previous eight encounters, compared to Utrecht's five victories.
The two teams last met in the Eredivisie in November 2019, when Utrecht claimed a comfortable 6-0 victory against their opponents, featuring a brace from both Sander van de Streek and Simon Gustafson.
FC Utrecht Eredivisie form: LDDDLL
FC Utrecht form (all competitions): LLDDDL
Fortuna Sittard Eredivisie form: WWLLDL
Team News
Utrecht have a few injury concerns heading into Saturday's game, with Leon Guwara expected to miss the match.
Adam Maher and Fabian de Keijzer are also doubtful, leaving Hake with limited options as he plans for the upcoming fixture.
As for Sittard, they are currently dealing with a number of absences due to COVID-19, with Samuel Moutoussamy, Jaroslaw Jach and Jorrit Smeets all out of contention.
However, Ultee is expected to start the same side that beat Heracles last weekend, hoping to continue their impressive winning streak.
FC Utrecht possible starting lineup:
Paes; Van der Maarel, Bergstrom, Hoogma, Warmerdam; Van Overeem; Ramselaar, Gustafson; Van de Streek; Kerk, Elia
Fortuna Sittard possible starting lineup:
Van Osch; Rota, Angha, Janssen, Cox; Rienstra, Tekie, Seuntjens; Semedo, Polter, Hansson
We say: FC Utrecht 1-1 Fortuna Sittard
Although Utrecht have the better head to head record, Sittard have been in good form over the past couple of weeks, and will be hoping to secure their third consecutive win this Saturday. However, there are currently just three points separating the sides in the table, and Utrecht will be confident of picking up at least a point.
Top betting tip
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 69.1%. A draw had a probability of 18.6% and a win for Fortuna Sittard had a probability of 12.28%.
The most likely scoreline for a FC Utrecht win was 2-0 with a probability of 12.16%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-0 (11.17%) and 2-1 (9.64%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (8.85%), while for a Fortuna Sittard win it was 0-1 (4.07%). The actual scoreline of 1-1 was predicted with an 8.9% likelihood.
