Preview: Heerenveen vs FC Utrecht - prediction, team news, lineups

Separated by just a single point and one place in the Eredivisie table, Heerenveen and FC Utrecht go head-to-head at the Abe Lenstra Stadion on Sunday afternoon.

Both teams came away empty-handed from their most recent outings, although the hosts will be feeling much better about themselves after going five games unbeaten before losing to Groningen last time out.

Match preview

Playing at home for the third straight game in the space of a week, Heerenveen set out to build on their KNVB-Beker victory over RKC Waalwijk in January 18's clash against Groningen, but they fell to a 2-0 defeat.

Robin Veldman’s men were denied a quick chance to bounce back after their clash with Go Ahead Eagles, initially scheduled for last Sunday, was postponed.

Albeit with a game in hand on most teams above them, De Superfriezen sit 10th in the standings with 24 points, but their European dreams are fading as they now trail eighth-placed FC Twente by six points.

Heerenveen were on the verge of snapping a three-game winless run against Utrecht in September’s reverse fixture, only for David Min’s 89th-minute equaliser to deny them victory.

As a result, the hosts enter this weekend’s clash still searching for their first win over Utrecht since August 2023.

Heerenveen have yet to keep a clean sheet at home this season, with defensive frailties undermining their attacking output. Despite netting 17 goals on home soil (eighth-most in the league), they have managed just 13 points from a possible 30.

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After pushing PSV Eindhoven all the way in their final match of 2025, Utrecht have endured a nightmare start to 2026, suffering five consecutive defeats and quashing any hopes of a mid-season revival.

Ron Jans’s men lost 4-2 to Celtic in their final Europa League league-stage game on Thursday, capping a dismal campaign in which they lost seven out of eight matches.

De Domstedelingen failed to impress on their return to European competition after a 15-year absence, and with Utrecht currently sitting 11th in the Eredivisie, another continental adventure next season looks unlikely.

Only three Eredivisie teams boast a worse away record than Utrecht since the start of the campaign, so this weekend’s trip to Heerenveen could offer a timely chance to return to winning ways before a daunting run of fixtures.

On the menu for Sunday’s visitors after their upcoming assignment are games against Feyenoord, NEC, and Groningen—three of the top seven, and a poor run could see them dragged into the battle to avoid relegation.

Heerenveen Eredivisie form:

Heerenveen form (all competitions):

FC Utrecht Eredivisie form:

FC Utrecht form (all competitions):

Team News

Levi Smans and Sam Kersten are sure absentees for Heerenveen here, with the former nursing a knee problem, while the latter is serving a one-game ban.

Hristiyan Petrov has missed each of his side's last three matches through injury, and the Hungary international is also unavailable this weekend.

Jacob Trenskow has notched five goals and an assist over his last six outings and will look to deliver the goods once again.

Mike Eerdhuijzen is out with a thigh issue, meaning Nick Viergever should retain his place in the heart of the Utrecht defence.

Mees Eppink (foot), Victor Jensen (knee) and David Min (ankle) will miss the trip to Heerenveen, although Min is not far off a return to action.

Heerenveen possible starting lineup:

Klaverboer; Braude, Hopland, Willemsen, Zagaritis; Linday, Overeem; Trenskow, Brouwers, Meerveld; Vente

FC Utrecht possible starting lineup:

Barkas; El Karouani, Viergever, Didden, Horemans; Engwanda, Bozdogan; Cathline, De Wit, Blake; Rodriguez

We say: Heerenveen 2-1 FC Utrecht

Heerenveen could not have asked for a better time to face Utrecht and will be confident of piling more misery on their out-of-sorts visitors.

In keeping with recent editions of this fixture, we anticipate another entertaining affair, with the home side emerging victorious at the final whistle.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.