Preview: Heracles vs Ajax - prediction, team news, lineups

The fight for survival meets the quest for European stability this Saturday as Heracles host Ajax at Asito Stadion in the Eredivisie.

With only five rounds remaining in the Dutch top-flight season, both clubs find themselves at critical crossroads, though for vastly different reasons, with the hosts rooted to the bottom of the table and desperately need a victory to spark a late escape from automatic relegation, while the visitors remain locked in a tight race to secure a top-four finish and guaranteed Europa League football.

Match preview

Heracles head into this fixture in a precarious position, sitting last in the standings with just 19 points from 29 matches and trailing safety by eight points with only five games left to play.

Manager Ernest Faber has seen his side struggle throughout the campaign, largely due to defensive fragility, with the Heraclieden conceding a league-high 74 goals so far this season, 16 more than the next worst defensive record in the division.

The last time Heracles claimed all three points came in a 2-1 win over Fortuna Sittard on February 1, and since then they have endured a difficult run of form, recording two draws and six defeats in their last eight league outings – their most recent setback being a heavy 4-1 loss against Heerenveen.

Despite the bleak outlook, the hosts have occasionally found an extra gear at home, where they have earned four of their five league victories this season, with the artificial surface at Asito Stadion historically posing a challenge for visiting sides, and Heracles remain unbeaten in their last two home matches, drawing 0-0 with FC Utrecht and 1-1 against Excelsior Rotterdam.

However, recent history in this fixture favours Ajax, with the hosts not beating the Amsterdam giants at home since 2020, losing three times and drawing once in their subsequent meetings in Almelo.

Ajax themselves have not been at their best recently, failing to win either of their last two league matches and managing just one victory in their previous six games, with three draws and two defeats in that run.

Nevertheless, the Amsterdam side will still approach this match with confidence given their dominance in this fixture, with the De Godenzonen currently on a six-match winning streak against Heracles and are unbeaten in their last nine meetings, winning eight of those encounters, including the reverse fixture earlier this season, which ended in a comfortable 2-0 win for the Sons of the Gods at Johan Cruyff Arena.

Manager Oscar Garcia, who took charge at the start of last month, suffered his first defeat in charge last time out as Ajax fell 2-1 at home to Twente, a result that ended a promising start to his tenure, which had included a 4-0 win over Sparta Rotterdam and a 1-1 draw with Feyenoord.

Ajax currently sit fifth in the table and remain two points behind Twente in the race for the final Europa League qualification spot, while they trail third-placed NEC Nijmegen by five points.

Failure to rediscover winning form could complicate their European ambitions further, especially with several teams tightly packed in the standings between fifth and eighth, where the end-of-season playoffs will determine one place in the UEFA Conference League second qualifying round.

Heracles Eredivisie form:

Ajax Eredivisie form:

Ajax form (all competitions):

Team News

Heracles are expected to remain without Mike te Wierik, Fabian de Keijzer and Jeff Reine-Adelaide due to injury.

Defender Mimeirhel Benita is suspended after picking up another yellow card in the defeat to Heerenveen, while Ajdin Hrustic missed that match through injury and remains doubtful for Saturday’s clash.

Ajax also have several injury concerns, with former Arsenal defender Oleksandr Zinchenko sidelined with a knee injury, while goalkeeper Vitezslav Jaros (back) and midfielder Youri Regeer (hamstring) are also unavailable.

Another former Arsenal player, Takehiro Tomiyasu, was forced off during the clash with Feyenoord due to a suspected hamstring problem and subsequently missed the match against Twente, and he remains doubtful for this encounter.

Midfielder Kian Fitz-Jim also missed the last game and is expected to remain unavailable due to unspecified reasons.

Heracles possible starting lineup:

Pasveer; Benita, Mirani, Hoorenbeeck, Mesik; Bozinovski, Zamburek; Ahlstrand, Bruns, Unuvar; Zeefuik

Ajax possible starting lineup:

Paes; Rosa, Sutalo, Baas, Wijndal; Klaasen, Mokio, Steur; Berghuis, Weghorst, Godts

We say: Heracles 0-2 Ajax

Heracles is fighting for their lives, and their porous defense is exactly the kind of weakness this Ajax side is built to exploit.

The visitors have shown a far greater level of tactical discipline under the new manager, and while they may not blow teams away, they have shown that they can handle lower-half opposition.

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