Two of the division's most in-form sides, Heracles and Go Ahead Eagles, will battle it out at the Asito Stadium on Saturday afternoon in round 22 of the 2024-25 Eredivisie season.
Both teams are unbeaten in competitive action since the turn of the year and head into this weekend's action off the back of respective two-goal victories last time out.
Match preview
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Heracles kept their hopes of securing silverware alive as they strolled into the KNVB Beker semi-finals courtesy of a routine 2-0 triumph at the expense of FC Utrecht in Tuesday's meeting between the sides.
Having dropped out of the starting XI for the game against NAC Breda four days earlier, Luka Kulenovic was on target on his return to the lineup for Erwin van de Looi, who had Mats Rots to thank for the comfort of a two-goal lead 11 minutes shy of the interval.
While that was only a first win in four matches across all competitions for the Heraclieden, it extended their run of games without defeat to seven, dating back to a friendly 1-0 loss against German outfit VfL Bochum.
Away from cup duty, Heracles will now set out to continue their surge up the Eredivisie table, where they currently sit just a point clear of the relegation playoff place heading into the final 13 games of the current campaign.
Four months on since they were on the receiving end of a 4-1 defeat in the reverse meeting, Saturday's hosts will be keen to do a number on their visitors this weekend and win consecutive games on home turf for the first time since April.
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Like Heracles, Go Ahead Eagles also secured safe passage into the last four of this season's Dutch Cup by comprehensively dispatching lower league side Noordwijk 3-1 at De Adelaarshorst on Wednesday.
Mathis Suray's opener just shy of the hour mark was followed by own goals from Dylan Rietveld and Giovanni da Fonseca to put Paul Simonis's men in the driving seat before Ruben Marbus grabbed a late consolation strike.
It is now four wins from the last five matches for the Pride of the IJssel Kowet, who have also now gone 10 matches on the bounce since their most recent defeat at the hands of FC Twente at the start of December.
Go Ahead Eagles' recent renaissance has left them 90 minutes away from a cup final and seventh in the league standings, keeping their European ambitions alive after they came close to securing Conference League football earlier this season before losing out to SK Brann in the qualifiers.
Saturday's trip to Almelo is the first of two straight games against teams in the bottom five for the away side before they close out February with a clash against Ajax and get March underway at home to reigning champions PSV Eindhoven.
Team News
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Nikolai Laursen is still sidelined with a knee problem, making him a guaranteed absentee for Heracles here, while Sava-Arangel Cestic is also unavailable due to an ankle problem.
Stijn Bultman has not featured this term as he continues his personal battle with a long-term injury, and the defender is joined out of action by Mario Engels.
Go Ahead Eagles' Finn Stokkers is set to miss game number eight on the bounce, although the 28-year-old is drawing increasingly closer to a return to action.
Having been directly involved in just under a third (12) of his side's 37 goals this term, Denmark international Jakob Breum will be looking to add to his seven goals and five assists as he continues to enjoy the most productive campaign of his career.
Heracles possible starting lineup:
De Keijzer; Rots, Mesik, Mirani, Wieckhoff; Zamburek, Van Kaam; Podgoreanu, Bruns, Talvitie; Hornkamp
Go Ahead Eagles possible starting lineup:
De Busser; James, Kramer, Nauber, Deijl; Llansana, Linthorst; Antman, Breum, Tengstedt; Edvardsen
We say: Heracles 1-1 Go Ahead Eagles
Both teams have been solid of late, and it is hard to see any of them coming away empty-handed from this one, so we are backing a share of the spoils with honours even at the end of the 90 minutes.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Adepoju Marvellous
