Two of the Eredivisie's top teams will meet on Sunday as second-placed Feyenoord travel to face AZ Alkmaar, who currently sit fourth.
The visitors have a 12-point gap to try and claw back if they wish to win the league, meaning there is very little room for error between now and the end of the season.
Match preview
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While Alkmaar currently takes up a European place in the Eredivisie, they will need to step up their recent performance levels if they wish to retain that.
That is because they are without a win in their previous four matches in the league, placing some pressure on Maarten Martens to turn things around and ensure they do not drop further down the table.
Their most recent outing finished 2-2 against Heerenveen, and while that might have been a disappointing one on paper, Alkmaar will have taken some positives considering they spent the entire second half with just 10 men after Denso Kasius was sent off.
Despite that, they did rely upon an 88th-minute own goal to ensure that they walked away from that game with a point, and last-minute mistakes will be harder to find against Feyenoord.
Three points on Sunday does have the possibility of pushing Alkmaar into third place depending on other results, and that alone should provide all the incentive the team needs to try and get back to winning ways.
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However, the hosts will come up against stiff competition in Feyenoord as the visitors have only been beaten twice all season in the Eredivisie and are undefeated in their previous six in all competitions.
With only one win in their past three league outings, there have been some signs of frustration recently for Arne Slot's men, though, which was clear during their most recent performance.
Feyenoord were held to a goalless draw by FC Twente, despite the fact they registered 23 shots throughout the game, which is unlike them this season.
Having scored 52 goals in 19 league matches, finding the back of the net has not typically been a problem for the visitors, and it is a situation that Slot will want to see resolved immediately.
With 12 points between them and the current league leaders coupled with the fact that PSV Eindhoven have yet to lose a single game, there is very little room for error moving forward for Feyenoord, putting plenty of pressure on them each time they head onto the grass.
Team News
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There will be at least one change from the team that drew against Heerenveen this weekend for the hosts due to Kasius being suspended, which could open the door for Wouter Goes to start.
Alkmaar will also be without Mathew Ryan and Yukinari Sugawara who are participating in the Asian Cup, while Mayckel Lahdo, Sam Westerveld and Hobie Verhulst are also absent due to injuries.
With 19 goals in as many appearances this season, Santiago Gimenez will be leading the line for Feyenoord this weekend as he looks to ensure they do not go another game without finding the back of the net.
Naci Unuvar was used from the bench in their previous match, but the 20-year-old could be an option from the star if Slot wishes to add a little more youth into the team.
AZ Alkmaar possible starting lineup:
Owusu-Oduro; Goes, Martins Indi, Bazoer, Penetra; Belic, De Wit, Clasie; Lahdo, Pavlidis, Van Brederode
Feyenoord possible starting lineup:
Bijlow; Geertruida, Trauner, Hancko, Hartman; Wieffer, Timber; Dilrosun, Stengs, Paixao; Gimenez
We say: AZ Alkmaar 1-2 Feyenoord
This promises to be a closely contested fixture between two of the strongest teams in the division, which should lead to an entertaining game for neutrals.
While it could go either way when it comes to the quality of both teams, the recent poor form of AZ Alkmaar will likely tip it in favour of the visitors.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Matthew Wilkinson
