Ajax will host FC Twente on Saturday, as the title holders hope to continue their impressive form in the 2020-21 season, having secured nine wins in their opening 10 games in the Eredivisie.
However, the visitors will be hoping to bounce back from their disappointing defeat against a struggling RKC Waalwijk side last Friday - recording just their second loss this campaign.
Match preview
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Ajax currently sit at the top of the table, just two points above Vitesse, with the Dutch giants suffering just one defeat this season.
Their last league result ended in a comfortable 5-0 win away at FC Emmen, featuring goals from Davy Klaassen, Zakaria Labyad, Lassina Traore, Jurgen Ekkelenkamp and Quincy Promes.
However, it is by no means surprising that Erik ten Hag's men were able to net five past their latest opponents, with Ajax scoring an astonishing 42 goals in just 10 league games this season.
Despite their superb form in the Eredivisie, they will be hoping to bounce back from a disheartening 1-0 defeat against Liverpool in the Champions League on Tuesday night, with the Dutch outfit currently sitting third in Group D.
However, Ten Hag will be confident heading into Saturday's clash as Ajax have won all of their home games in the league this season, conceding just four times in the process.
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Meanwhile, Twente have experienced a pretty impressive start to the campaign themselves, claiming five wins and three draws, putting them in fifth spot in the table.
As previously mentioned, they suffered a disappointing 2-0 loss to Waalwijk in their previous league fixture, with the visitors able to claim two goals within the first 30 minutes of the match.
Nevertheless, their away record this season has been modest, picking up seven points from a possible 12.
In terms of their head to head record, Ajax hold the upper hand - winning 24 matches out of 45 games, while Twente have picked up just 10 victories.
They last met in December last year, where Ajax managed a 5-2 triumph against the Tukkers, featuring a hat-trick from Noa Lang.
Ajax Eredivisie form: WWWWWW
Ajax form (all competitions): LWWWWW
FC Twente Eredivisie form: LDWWLW
FC Twente form (all competitions): LDWWLL
Team News
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Ajax are still without summer signing Mohammed Kudus, with the Ghanaian currently nursing a knee injury and is expected to return next month.
Ten Hag is likely to make a few changes from the side that took on Liverpool in midweek, as the hosts have an important Champions League fixture against Atalanta on Wednesday which will determine their fate in the competition.
Both Labyad and Traore are expected to return to the starting XI, giving the Dutch manager the opportunity to rest the likes of Dusan Tadic.
For Twente, they have a set of injury concerns heading into this important game, with Nathangelo Markelo, Dario Dumic and Jayden Oosterwolde all set to miss the match.
Queensy Menig is also out, after the winger recently tested positive for COVID-19, leaving Twente coach Ron Jans with limited options.
Ajax possible starting lineup:
Onana; Mazraoui, Schuurs, Martinez, Tagliafico; Klaassen, Gravenberch; Promes, Labyad, Neres; Traore
FC Twente possible starting lineup:
Drommel; Ebuehi, Pleguezuelo, Pierie, Smal; Brama, Roemeratoe, Bosch; Cerny, Danilo, Dervisoglu
We say: Ajax 3-0 FC Twente
Despite their 1-0 loss to Premier League champions Liverpool on Tuesday, Ajax should be able to claim a comfortable win against Twente this weekend. Although Jans's men have been performing well this season, their recent loss against Waalwijk would have dampened their spirits and they will have to face an extremely talented Ajax side this 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 Ajax win with a probability of 79.57%. A draw had a probability of 12.4% and a win for FC Twente had a probability of 8.07%.
The most likely scoreline for an Ajax win was 3-0 with a probability of 9.02%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (8.92%) and 3-1 (8.22%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (5.36%), while for a FC Twente win it was 1-2 (2.44%). The actual scoreline of 1-2 was predicted with a 2.4% likelihood.
