Arguably the pick of the matches of gameweek 12 in the Eredivisie will come from De Grolsch Veste where FC Twente will be playing host to Ajax on Sunday afternoon.
The hosts will enter this match in fifth place in the league standings with 21 points from their 11 games, while the visitors are in second place with 25 points after 10 matches.
Match preview
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FC Twente saw their winless run in the Europa League extend to four in a row in midweek, when they allowed a two-goal advantage over Nice to slip away, despite playing the majority of the final 20 minutes with a man advantage.
That result took their record in Europe to three draws and a loss, but it also marked their third match unbeaten across all competitions following back-to-back wins over Heracles and Willem II in the Eredivisie.
In league terms, the Tukkers are also unbeaten in their last three and have only conceded two defeats so far this season, which came against Feyenoord and Utrecht, both by 2-1 scorelines and both in away games.
At home, though, Joseph Oosting's side have been very tough to beat, currently riding a three-match win streak and unbeaten in their last 11 matches (W9 D2 L0) dating back to the end of February.
Notably, the hosts have also kept clean sheets in each of their last three league games at De Grolsch Veste and have only conceded nine home or away this term, which is the joint-best record in the division alongside their upcoming opponents and league leaders PSV.
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In contrast, Ajax have been having a very impressive season in Europe and notched up their third win in four Europa League matches in midweek by thumping Maccabi Tel Aviv 5-0 at the Johan Cruyff Arena.
With that result, de Godenzonen kept their unbeaten record in Europe's second-tier competition intact (W3 D1 L0), and extended their active win streak to seven matches in all competitions, while they are unbeaten in 14 (W12 D2 L0).
The last time Francesco Farioli's side tasted defeat was in gameweek two of the Eredivisie when they lost 2-1 to NAC Breda on the road, and that remains the only loss the new boss has conceded in league or cup competition since his arrival.
After failing to win either of their first two away league games this term, including that loss to NAC and a draw to Go Ahead Eagles, Ajax are now gunning for a fourth consecutive top-flight victory on the road and have scored two or more goals in each of their last three wins.
However, the visitors will know that they are in for a stern test here, as they have left empty-handed from this venue in their last two league visits, losing both matches by a 3-1 scoreline.
Team News
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Lars Unnerstall was forced to miss out on the midweek trip to Nice owing to suspension but he is expected to return between the sticks in this match and has now gone over 200 league minutes without conceding.
However, the hosts will likely be without their top-scorer Sem Steijn, who is suffering from an illness and flagged as a doubt. The confirmed absentees for Twente this week are Mees Hilgers (hamstring) and Younes Taha (leg).
Ajax, on the other hand, could be without as many as five players for this trip to Enschede, including defensive duo Josip Sutalo and Gaston Avila, who are out with a knock and knee injury respectively.
Sivert Mannsverk has now missed 12 games with an ankle injury and teenager Julian Rijkhoff has sat out nine with a knee problem - both have been ruled out this weekend, along with Amourricho Van Axel-Dongen.
FC Twente possible starting lineup:
Unnerstall; Van Rooij, Hilgers, Bruns, Salah-Eddine; Eiting, Regeer; Ltaief, Vlap, Rots; Lammers
Ajax possible starting lineup:
Pasveer; Rensch, Rugani, Baas, Hato; Klaassen, Henderson, Fitz-Jim; Traore, Brobbey, Akpom
We say: FC Twente 2-2 Ajax
While Ajax have all the momentum coming into this match, Twente are no pushover on their home patch and are unbeaten in their last three matches against his opponent at this venue.
The visitors claimed a massive three points at home last week to keep PSV within touching distance, but we feel that the hosts this week will be able to get something from this one.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Devesh Jaganath
