FC Utrecht are set to host Heracles this Saturday, with the two teams currently on the same amount of points as they enter their next league fixture.
The hosts are currently one place ahead of Heracles in 10th, meaning this game will prove vital in their hopes of climbing the table.
Match preview
Utrecht will be keen to bounce back from their 1-0 loss against Vitesse on Tuesday, with Danilho Doekhi scoring the only goal of the game.
Their recent result means that Rene Hake's men have now gone three games without a win, however their previous two matches witnessed draws against both Groningen and AZ Alkmaar.
In fact, Utrecht have recorded the highest number of draws in the league this campaign, having picked up nine in the 2020-21 season thus far.
However, with just three wins in their opening 16 games, new manager Hake will be desperate to claim three points this weekend.
Heracles, meanwhile, will be in high spirits after their comfortable 4-0 triumph against Emmen earlier this week.
During the match, Sinan Bakis was able to get a hat-trick for his side, before Rai Vloet netted the final goal in the late stages of the game.
Their recent victory means Heracles have now claimed three wins in their last four matches, putting them in 11th place in the Eredivisie table.
However, it is worth noting that the visitors have a pretty poor away record this season, securing just two wins on the road - their recent triumphs against Groningen and Heerenveen.
The last time these two sides met was in November earlier this season, when Heracles conjured up an impressive 4-1 victory against Utrecht, featuring a hat-trick by Vloet.
FC Utrecht Eredivisie form: LDDWDL
FC Utrecht form (all competitions): LDDWDL
Heracles Eredivisie form: WLWWLD
Team News
Utrecht have a few injury concerns heading into this game, with Eljero Elia currently out with a hamstring problem.
Both Maarten Paes and Emil Bergstrom are also doubtful, leaving Hake with limited options ahead of Saturday's clash.
Heracles also have a few injuries, including Marco Rente, with the centre-back currently nursing a muscle problem.
Teun Bijleveld is also ruled out, while Navajo Bakboord remains doubtful for the side.
Coach Frank Wormuth is expected to field the same side that picked up a convincing 4-0 win against Emmen last time round.
FC Utrecht possible starting lineup:
Oelschlagel; Van der Maarel, Benamar, Janssen, Warmerdam; Van Overeem; Maher, Gustafson; Van de Streek; Kerk, Dalmau
Heracles possible starting lineup:
Blaswich; Breukers, Propper, Knoester, Quagliata; De la Torre, Kiomourtzoglou, Vloet; Van der Water, Bakis, Burgzorg
We say: FC Utrecht 0-1 Heracles
Currently, there is not much to separate the two sides, with both Utrecht and Heracles sitting on the same amount of points in the Eredivisie table. However, the away side's recent form means they should be able to pick up a narrow win come Saturday.
Top betting tip
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 FC Utrecht win with a probability of 62.21%. A draw had a probability of 21.6% and a win for Heracles had a probability of 16.19%.
The most likely scoreline for a FC Utrecht win was 1-0 with a probability of 11.99%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (11.47%) and 2-1 (9.83%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (10.27%), while for a Heracles win it was 0-1 (5.37%). The actual scoreline of 2-0 was predicted with an 11.5% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that FC Utrecht would win this match.
