Round 29 of the 2022-23 Eredivisie season commences with a crunch meeting between SBV Excelsior and Go Ahead Eagles at Van Donge & De Roo Stadion on Friday.
Off the back of defeats in their most recent outings, both teams go in search of three crucial points as they look to steer clear of relegation danger.
Match preview
SBV Excelsior were beaten away from home for the eighth consecutive game with a comprehensive 4-0 loss against PSV Eindhoven on Saturday.
Luuk de Jong's opener saw Marinus Dijkhuizen's men trail heading into the interval after which second-half strikes from Xavi Simons, Fabio Silva and Erick Gutierrez put the game to bed.
As a result, the Kralingers remain 16th in the Eredivisie table but have now fallen a point adrift of safety in the battle for survival heading into the final knockings of the campaign.
Next up is the challenge of an opposing outfit who are unbeaten in the last six editions of this fixtures across all competitions dating back to 2018.
With a crunch relegation clash against Vitesse to follow Friday's contest, the home side will be keen to stay within touching distance of the teams in and around them.
Go Ahead Eagles saw their two-match unbeaten run nipped in the bud thanks to a 2-0 defeat against Vitesse at the GelreDome on Saturday evening.
Goals in either half from Maximilian Wittek and Mohamed Sankoh were enough to put Rene Hake's men to the sword in what turned out to be a largely one-sided affair in Arnhem.
Having amassed 30 points from their 27 outings, the pride of the IJssel Kowet sit 12th in the standings, six points afloat of relegation danger with a game in hand.
Currently on a run of one victory in eight matches on enemy territory leading up to Friday, the visitors will be keen to get themselves back on track away from home.
Team News
Vicente Besuijen, Maxime Awoudja and Adrian Fein are all out of contention for Excelsior as the trio continue to battle with muscle injuries.
Twenty-four-year-old Jacky Donkor also misses out for the hosts due to a long-term knee injury which he picked up in his final outing of 2022.
Forward Marouan Azarkan has sat out each of his side's last two games through a groin problem, and it is unlikely he will be fit enough to play a part in Friday's clash either.
For the first time in a long while, Go Ahead Eagles have no injury or suspension concerns to deal with and head to Rotterdam with a clean bill of health.
Willum Thor Willumsson was voted man of the match in the reverse fixture, and the Iceland international will look to come up with the goods once again.
SBV Excelsior possible starting lineup:
Van Gassel; Zagre, Pierie, El Yaakoubi, Nieuwpoort, Horemans; Driouech, Baas, Koopmeiners, Goudmijn; Lamprou
Go Ahead Eagles possible starting lineup:
De Lange; Fontan, Idzes, Amofa, Deijl; Llansana, Rommens; Fernandes, Willumsson, Adekanye; Lidberg
We say: SBV Excelsior 0-1 Go Ahead Eagles
Excelsior have often been found wanting in front of goal this term, and we expect their attacking woes to continue here. We also fancy the visitors to come out on top by the odd goal in what should be a hard-fought contest.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
