A potentially pivotal match towards the top of the Eredivisie table takes place on Sunday when AZ Alkmaar do battle with FC Twente, with both teams pushing for a third-place finish.
With five points between them and only three games remaining, it is a fixture the hosts cannot afford to lose.
Match preview
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AZ Alkmaar head into this weekend being the team that still has work to do, as they trail their opponents by five points, which makes this a crucial match to win.
A defeat would ensure that a third-place finish is out of their hands, while a draw would also make it difficult as they would be relying on FC Twente losing both of their remaining fixtures.
AZ Alkmaar will take confidence from the fact they have been far stronger at home this season, winning 10, drawing twice and losing only three times.
Maarten Martens has managed to get his team back on form after they suffered consecutive defeats recently, as they have followed that up with two wins on the bounce.
The most recent saw AZ Alkmaar defeat NEC by three goals to nil, highlighting their strengths both offensively and at the back, which is a balance they will need to get perfectly right this time around.
The visitors could earn a Champions League qualification spot this weekend, ensuring an entire season's worth of efforts were worthwhile, giving the team plenty to work towards for the next campaign at the same time.
FC Twente have been consistent throughout the season with 19 victories alongside six draws and defeats, and finishing in that style will be the aim.
However, away form has been a problem for Joseph Oosting's men this season, which was clear during their most recent performance on the road that saw them beaten 2-1 by Ajax.
Only six of FC Twente's victories have taken place in away games this season, while five of their six defeats have been on the road, which showcases the impact not playing at home has had.
FC Twente head into this match on the back of a 3-1 win against Almere, which should have injected some momentum into the team ahead of their biggest game of the season.
Team News
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Bruno Martins Indi and Lequincio Zeefuik missed out on AZ Alkmaar's recent victory due to back and ankle problems respectively, and Sam Westerveld is also on the sidelines because of a knee injury.
Mayckel Lahdo has also been unable to feature since February, placing the pressure on Vangelis Pavlidis to lead the line this weekend as he aims to add to his 27 goals for the season.
Oosting also has some issues to deal with as Myron Boadu is unavailable, which has led to Ricky van Wolfswinkel getting chances to start in his absence.
Outside of that, FC Twente picked up three goals from midfielders in their most recent outing, and they could stick with the same set-up this time around.
AZ Alkmaar possible starting lineup:
Raya; Sugawara, Goes, Bazoer, Wolfe; Dantas, Kwakman; Mijnans, De Wit, Van Bommel; Pavlidis
FC Twente possible starting lineup:
Unnerstall; Regeer, Hilgers, Propper, Smal; Kjolo, Eiting; Rots, Steijn, Vlap; Van Wolfswinkel
We say: AZ Alkmaar 1-2 FC Twente
AZ Alkmaar must win this match, but the fact that FC Twente can confirm a third-place finish with three points here will ensure that this is a tense match.
However, the overall form and consistency of the visitors throughout this season is likely going to be the difference-maker here.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
