Heerenveen entertain Feyenoord in the KNVB-Beker quarter-finals on Wednesday afternoon, as both teams aim to advance to the final four of the competition.
The hosts defeated FC Emmen in the last round, while Dick Advocaat's side came back from behind to beat Heracles.
Match preview
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De Superfriezen lost 3-1 to high-flying AZ Alkmaar last time out but are enjoying a solid season so far.
Their 29-point haul in the Eredivisie has them sitting in ninth position in the top-flight standings and comfortably clear of the relegation places.
That means that Johnny Jansen's men can fully focus on the cup, and they will be confident of causing an upset in midweek.
The Abe Lenstra Stadion outfit defeated their upcoming opponents 3-0 on home soil as recently as January 27 and will, therefore, believe a place in the semi-finals is well within their grasp.
However, since that surprise loss to Heerenveen, Feyenoord have strung back-to-back victories together, scoring eight goals and conceding just one.
De club aan de Maas are 12 points behind bitter rivals Ajax in the race for the Eredivisie crown and will view this trophy as their best chance of winning some silverware this season.
Although Advocaat's side lost heavily to De Superfriezen last month, when the two sides met at De Kuip just before Christmas, the scoreline was reversed.
Both teams will be desperate to reach the semi-final stage of the competition, but there is added incentive for Feyenoord, who were scheduled to play in the 2019-20 showpiece event before the coronavirus outbreak.
Heerenveen KNVB Beker form: WWW
Heerenveen form (all competitions): WLWDWL
Feyenoord KNVB Beker form: WWW
Feyenoord form (all competitions): LWLLWW
Team News
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Jansen will be unable to call upon the services of right-winger Ulysses Llanez after the 19-year-old picked up a knock last month.
He is joined on the treatment table by Joey Veerman as the defensive midfielder continues to suffer from a calf injury.
Attacking midfielder Joao Carlos Teixeira is the only absentee for Feyenoord, as the Portuguese forward has yet to recover from a fractured fibula.
Advocaat will undoubtedly select his strongest starting XI available, which means top scorer Steven Berghuis is set to lead the line once again.
Heerenveen possible starting lineup:
Mulder; Kaib, Bochniewicz, Dresevic, Van Hecke; Halilovic; Kongolo, J. Veerman; De Jong; Van Bergen, H. Veerman
Feyenoord possible starting lineup:
Marsman; Malacia, Senesi, Botteghin, Geertruida; Diemers, Fer, Toornstra; Haps, Linssen, Berghuis
We say: Heerenveen 2-3 Feyenoord
There could a flurry of goals in this intriguing cup tie, and we fancy the visitors to get the job done after an exciting encounter. Feyenoord should have too much quality for Heerenveen, and the extra motivation of missing out on last year's final could see them over the line.
Top tip
George Cannon
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 Feyenoord win with a probability of 47.18%. A win for Heerenveen had a probability of 29.29% and a draw had a probability of 23.5%.
The most likely scoreline for a Feyenoord win was 1-2 with a probability of 9.36%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 0-1 (8.2%) and 0-2 (7.1%). The likeliest Heerenveen win was 2-1 (7.13%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (10.81%). The actual scoreline of 4-3 was predicted with a 0.5% likelihood.
