Two Eredivisie sides looking to bounce back from defeat last weekend will do battle at the Goffertstadion on Sunday as NEC play host to Go Ahead Eagles.
The hosts have failed to win any of their last 11 league matches on home soil, while the visitors have won only three of their 15 games on the road all season.
Match preview
NEC suffered their third successive defeat and their 14th in total this season when they were beaten 1-0 away at FC Utrecht last Friday.
Rogier Meijer's side had scored in each of their previous 17 away games across all competitions, dating back to August last year, but they were unable to find the net at the Stadion Galgenwaard, with Anastasios Douvikas scoring the only goal of the game for Utrecht in the 77th minute.
That result has seen the Nijmegen-based outfit slip down to 11th place in the Eredivisie standings, but they have all but guaranteed their top-flight status as they sit nine points clear of the danger zone with just three games remaining.
Competing in the top-flight for the first time in five seasons, NEC can take plenty of positives from the 2021-22 campaign and they are still in with a chance of achieving their joint-highest league finish this century, as maximum points from their final three matches could push them up to eighth in the table.
NEC have experienced fluctuating results against Sunday's opponents Go Ahead Eagles in recent years, alternating between defeat and victory in their last five games across all competitions after a run of three successive draws.
Go Ahead Eagles suffered defeat in the reverse league fixture against NEC back in December, losing 2-0 on home soil.
They were, however, able to get revenge in the KNVB Bekker quarter-finals, as they won by the same scoreline at the Goffertstadion two months later in the most recent encounter between the two sides.
Like NEC, Kees van Wonderen's men were also promoted from the second tier last season and they are set for a midtable finish this term as they currently sit ninth in the table, 10 points above the bottom three and 26 points behind FC Twente in fourth.
The Pride of the IJssel Kowet head into this weekend's contest after losing their last two league games against Fortuna Sittard and Vitesse, suffering a 2-1 defeat against the latter last weekend.
Isac Lidberg scored his fourth league goal of the campaign to cancel out Lois Openda's opener, but the latter found the net again midway through the second half to condemn Go Ahead Eagles to their 15th defeat of the season.
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Team News
NEC striker Wilfried Bony is set to remain sidelined with a hamstring injury, while Pedro Ruiz and Edgar Barreto are both doubtful and will be assessed ahead of kickoff.
Ali Akman is available after serving a one-match suspension last time out, and the 20-year-old could replace Jonathan Okita as the central striker.
Veteran Lasse Schone is set to keep his place in centre-midfield alongside Jordy Bruijn, while Elayis Tavsan and Souffian El Karouani will be hoping to start again on the flanks.
As for Go Ahead Eagles, Jay Idzes and Giannis-Fivos Botos are both set to miss this weekend's contest due to respective knee and muscle injuries.
Right-back Cuco Martina missed the defeat against Vitesse due to illness and the 32-year-old will be assessed ahead of kickoff on Sunday. Boyd Lucassen is the most likely candidate to start at right-back if Martina is not deemed fit to play.
Top scorer Inigo Cordoba, who has found the net nine times in the Eredivisie so far this term, is set to lead the line, with support provided in attack by Lidburg.
NEC possible starting lineup:
Branderhorst; Van Rooij, Guth, Marquez, Verdonk; Schone, Bruijn; Tavsan, Duelund, El Karouani; Akman
Go Ahead Eagles possible starting lineup:
Noppert; Lucassen, Kramer, Nauber, Kuipers; Deijl, Brouwers, Rommens, Oratmangoen; Lidberg, Cordoba
We say: NEC 1-1 Go Ahead Eagles
A closely-fought contest between two evenly-matched sides is set to be played out at the Goffertstadion, with the hosts seeking to leapfrog the visitors in the table with a victory.
While NEC's home form has left little to be desired, Go Ahead Eagles have struggled on the road numerous times this season, so with that in mind, a score draw could be on the cards on Sunday.
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats, suggests the most likely outcome of this match is a Go Ahead Eagles win with a probability of 36.96%. A win for NEC has a probability of 36.8% and a draw has a probability of 26.2%.
The most likely scoreline is NEC 1-1 Go Ahead Eagles with a probability of 12.47% and the second most likely scoreline is NEC 0-1 Go Ahead Eagles with a probability of 9.51%.
Top tip
Oliver Thomas
