Eredivisie leaders Ajax welcome FC Utrecht to the Johan Cruyff ArenA on Sunday looking for a sixth consecutive league win and a seventh in all competitions.
This is the third meeting between the sides this term, with Ajax having already beaten Sunday's visitors 3-0 in the reverse fixture in November, as well as in a scintillating KNVB-Beker tie three weeks ago, which ended 5-4.
Match preview
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Ajax ended 2020 with a three-point lead at the top of the table, but five wins out of the last five have seen that cushion extend to seven.
That run becomes more impressive when you consider the fact that it includes a 1-0 win over second-placed PSV Eindhoven, and more recently, the 3-0 demolition of AZ Alkmaar.
Erik ten Hag's men put on another display of their title credentials against AZ on Sunday, cruising to victory at the AFAS Stadion courtesy of goals from Antony Santos, Davy Klaassen and David Neres.
The league leaders have made it a habit of scoring for fun this season, and their most recent addition of three takes them up to 66 in just 20 games, which gives an average of over three goals per game.
Utrecht failed to extend their winning run to four league games, but they were able to steal a point right at the end in a 3-3 draw with PEC Zwolle.
Hidde ter Avest struck in the fifth minute of additional time to maintain his side's unbeaten run, which has seen them pick up 10 of the last 12 points available.
Rene Hake's men are now up to eighth in the Eredivisie table, although making up a nine-point deficit on fifth-placed AZ would be a tough ask, so a return to Europe for the first time in a decade looks highly unlikely.
Trips to the Johan Cruyff ArenA have often not been pleasant for The Domstedelingen, who have lost on five of their last six visits to the capital.
Ajax Eredivisie form: DWWWWW
Ajax form (all competitions): WWWWWW
FC Utrecht Eredivisie form: DLWWWD
Team News
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Nicolas Tagliafico is out with an eye problem so Daley Blind is likely to fill in at left-back, leaving room for Lisandro Martinez to partner Perr Schuurs in the heart of the defence.
Noussair Mazraoui is also ruled out of this one with a minor injury, with 18-year-old Devyne Rensch set to deputize for the Moroccan.
Andre Onana has been banned from footballing activities for a year after testing positive for Furosemide in a drug test that was conducted in October.
Eljero Elia is still unavailable for Utrecht due to a hamstring injury, but he is not far off a return to action.
Emil Bergstrom is also expected to miss the game with a muscle problem which he sustained in December against PSV Eindhoven.
Ajax possible starting lineup:
Stekelenburg; Blind, Martinez, Schuurs, Rensch; Gravenberch, Promes, Klaassen; Tadic, Haller, Antony
FC Utrecht possible starting lineup:
Oelschlagel; Warmerdam, Janssen, St Jago, Ter Avest; Maher, Boussaid, Van Overeem; Ramselaar, Van De Streek, Kerk
We say: Ajax 3-0 FC Utrecht
Ajax simply look far too good for anyone at the moment, and three points against an improved Utrecht side would seem like a mere formality for Erik ten Hag's men.
Top betting tip
Adepoju Marvellous
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 57.85%. A win for FC Utrecht had a probability of 22.12% and a draw had a probability of 20%.
The most likely scoreline for an Ajax win was 2-1 with a probability of 9.42%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (7.1%) and 3-1 (7%). The likeliest FC Utrecht win was 1-2 (5.6%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (8.45%). The actual scoreline of 1-1 was predicted with an 8.5% likelihood.
