FC Twente and champions Feyenoord, two of the strongest clubs in the early stages of the Eredivisie, meet at De Grolsch Veste on Sunday.
Just one point and one place separate the two sides in the table heading into the weekend, with Twente fourth and Feyenoord third having extended their unbeaten run to nine games with a 4-0 win over Vitesse in their last league outing.
Match preview
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FC Twente go into Sunday's match on the back of a 2-2 draw against Heracles last weekend, which saw their winning streak of three games without conceding a goal come to an end.
After three straight wins against Vitesse, Heerenveen and Fortuna Sittard, they are in the race for a top-four finish in the Eredivisie, as a win would see them pass Feyenoord, who are just one point ahead of Twente in third place.
The Heracles draw was only the second time this season that Twente had dropped points, having also lost 1-0 away to RKC Waalwijk over a month ago - still the only game in which they failed to score.
Additionally, Twente are one of only five teams still unbeaten at home this Eredivisie season, with four wins from four games and only two goals conceded.
Although Joseph Oosting's side are well behind current leaders PSV Eindhoven, AZ Alkmaar and Feyenoord in terms of goals scored, they have not gone without netting in four home games.
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Feyenoord, on the other hand, will have nothing but positive emotions ahead of Sunday's game, having clinched their second Champions League group win with a 3-1 victory over Lazio in midweek to take top spot in the group.
In the league, the record is even more impressive with seven wins and two draws in the first quarter of the season.
Last weekend's 4-0 win over Vitesse was Feyenoord's seventh consecutive victory in the Eredivisie – an outstanding run in which they scored four or more goals in five of their seven matches.
With three wins, one draw and a total of 13 goals scored, the team have been equally successful in home and away matches, which indicates a consistent level of performance in all departments.
A win on Sunday would put Feyenoord four points clear of FC Twente in the table and could close the gap on the so-far perfect PSV Eindhoven, while also potentially leapfrogging AZ Alkmaar into second, if the top two fail to win at the weekend.
Team News
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FC Twente go into this match with some injury concerns, as there are question marks over the use of Michel Vlap, Naci Unuvar, Max Bruns and Joshua Brenet.
Vlap last played in the 3-0 win over Fortuna Sittard, but had to sit out the last game against Heracles, where Mitchell Van Bergen took his place on the left wing. He would be a possible option for the starting XI if Vlap is out.
In the final third, Sem Steijn has been one of the most important players for Twente this season - the attacking midfielder leads the club with five goals, making him the fourth-highest scorer in the competition.
Yankuba Minteh and Gernot Trauner are the only players missing for the Dutch champions prior to the game on Sunday.
Centre back Trauner had last played in the 3-2 Champions League loss to Atletico Madrid, but had to be substituted off due to injury. Since then, Lutsharel Geertruida has been his replacement in defence and scored a goal in the 4-0 win against Vitesse.
Santiago Gimenez is Feyenoord's most lethal player with 13 goals, including netting the opening goal four times, making him the top scorer in the 2023-24 Eredivisie season so far.
FC Twente possible starting lineup:
Unnerstall; Sampsted, Hilgers, Propper, Regeer; Kjolo, Sadilek, Rots, Steijn, van Bergen; Ugalde
Feyenoord possible starting lineup:
Bijlow; Nieuwkoop, Geertruida, Hancko, Hartman; Wieffer, Timber, Stengs; Paixao, Minteh, Gimenez
We say: FC Twente 1-2 Feyenoord
Feyenoord are the team with the most goals in the Eredivisie this season and are virtually unstoppable with Gimenez leading the line.
On the other hand, FC Twente have only conceded two goals at home and certainly have the defensive quality to keep the visitors as quiet as possible, but the task will be incredibly difficult.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
