Ajax go in search of a third consecutive league win as Fortuna Sittard host the league leaders on Sunday afternoon.
Fortuna are on a run of one defeat in their last seven league games, with only AZ Alkmaar picking up more points in that time.
Match preview
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Ajax maintained their three-point lead at the top courtesy of a 1-0 home victory over Feyenoord last Sunday.
Ryan Gravenberch's strike midway through the first half was enough to secure all three points for Erik ten Hag's men on the day.
De Godenzonen are yet to lose a game in any competition since a 1-0 loss to Atalanta last December, which confirmed their exit from this season's Champions League.
With the trio of Vitesse, PSV Eindhoven and Feyenoord all hot on their trails, Ajax know that any dropped points going forward could prove decisive come the end of May.
They will be hoping for a similar result to earlier in the season when the sides met last October in a 5-2 win for the league leaders.
Fortuna's impressive record over the last seven league games, where they have picked up 16 points from a possible 21, has moved them up to 11th in the Eredivisie table.
Sjors Ultee will hope that Thursday's KNVB-Beker exit to Nijmegen in extra time does not dampen the mood at the Fortuna Sittard Stadion too much.
His side are playing well at the moment thanks in no small part to Zian Flemming and Sebastian Polter, who have similar records of six goals and three assists this term.
Both players will have to be on top of their game if Saturday's hosts are to stand a chance of getting anything from the game.
Fortuna Sittard Eredivisie form: WDWWLW
Fortuna Sittard form (all competitions): DWWLWL
Ajax Eredivisie form: WWDDWW
Ajax form (all competitions): WDDWWW
Team News
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Zakaria Labyad would have enjoyed scoring the winner versus AZ in midweek, but his game was ended prematurely due to an injury which now makes him doubtful for this one.
Erik ten Hag handed out starts to the likes of Jurgen Ekkelenkamp and Devyne Rensch for the cup tie, but you would expect him to field his strongest team at the weekend.
Lassina Traore is back in training already as he closes in on a return to full fitness having not featured since last December.
Fortuna have a full squad at their disposal, and Sjors Ultee will be confident of keeping his side's good run going.
Fortuna Sittard possible starting lineup:
Van Osch; Cox, Janssen, Angha, Tirpan; Flemming, Tekie, Rienstra; Hansson, Polter, Semedo
Ajax possible starting lineup:
Onana; Tagliafico, Blind, Timber, Mazraoui; Gravenberch, Klaassen, Tadic; Promes, Haller, Antony
We say: Fortuna Sittard 0-3 Ajax
Ajax simply have far too much quality for Fortuna, and their attack will look to enjoy another fruitful outing, as it has done all season long.
Top betting tip
Adepoju Marvellous
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 Ajax win with a probability of 75.73%. A draw had a probability of 14.2% and a win for Fortuna Sittard had a probability of 10.11%.
The most likely scoreline for an Ajax win was 0-2 with a probability of 9%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (8.71%) and 0-3 (8.47%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (6.17%), while for a Fortuna Sittard win it was 2-1 (2.98%). The actual scoreline of 1-2 was predicted with an 8.7% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Ajax would win this match.
