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FC Utrecht
Eredivisie | Gameweek 16
Dec 22, 2021 at 8pm UK
Stadion Galgenwaard
FC Twente logo

Utrecht
1 - 1
FC Twente

Mahi (90+4')
van der Maarel (77'), Douvikas (82'), Maduro (90+7')
FT(HT: 0-1)
van Wolfswinkel (17')
Oosterwolde (42'), Zerrouki (90+6')
Sadilek (51')

Preview: FC Utrecht vs. FC Twente - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Wednesday's Eredivisie clash between FC Utrecht and FC Twente, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

On a run of four consecutive victories in all competitions, FC Twente take a trip to the Stadion Galgenwaard to lock horns with FC Utrecht on Wednesday.

The visitors, in stark contrast, have failed to taste victory in any of their most recent four outings and will be aiming to end this dry spell.


Match preview

Ron Jans, now in charge of FC Twente, pictured in September 2019© Reuters

FC Utrecht continue to struggle for form in the Eredivisie last Saturday when they were held to a thrilling 2-2 draw by Fortuna Sittard.

In an action-packed contest at the Fortuna Sittard Stadion, Mimoun Mahi and George Cox scored for either side to end the first half level and after Sander van de Streek put the visitors ahead five minutes after the break, Zian Flemming was on deck to restore parity for the second time in the game in the 77th minute.

Utrecht have now failed to taste victory in four consecutive games in all competitions, picking up two draws and losing two, including a 3-2 defeat against NAC Breda on December 14 which saw them crash out of the KNVB beker.

Rene Hake's side have now managed just one win from each of their last seven games, which came when they beat Heracles 1-0 on November 28, and this poor run has seen them drop to seventh place in the Eredivisie table, one point above Cambuur just outside the Conference League playoff places.

This has been in no small part down to their struggles at the defensive end of the pitch as they have conceded 13 goals in that time, while managing just one clean sheet.

However, Utrecht will take pride in their home form this season as they remain the only side yet to taste defeat at home and boast the league's third-best record with 20 points from eight games.

Meanwhile, after securing a 10th-placed finish in the Eredivisie last season, FC Twente will be delighted by their performance in the first half of the season.

Ron Jans's men are currently fourth in the Eredivisie standings, five points behind Feyenoord in the Europa League qualification spot, after picking up 31 points from their first 17 games of the season.

Their impressive run so far has been owing to their performance away from home, where they boast the league's fourth-best record with 16 points from nine games.

The Pride of the East head into Wednesday's game fresh off then back a 3-1 win over PEC Zwolle when the sides squared off at the MAC³PARK Stadion.

In that encounter, Dimitris Limnios, Manfred Ugalde and Virgil Misidjan put the visitors in a commanding three-goal lead inside 52 minutes before substitute Samir Lagsir grabbed a consolation goal for the hosts with one minute left to play.

While Twente will look to keep the juggernaut rolling and strengthen their position in the upper echelons of the table, next up is an opposing side who they have failed to defeat in each of their last seven attempts away from home.

FC Utrecht Eredivisie form:
  • L
  • L
  • W
  • L
  • D
  • D

FC Utrecht form (all competitions):
  • L
  • W
  • L
  • D
  • L
  • D

FC Twente Eredivisie form:
  • W
  • W
  • D
  • W
  • W
  • W

FC Twente form (all competitions):
  • W
  • D
  • W
  • W
  • W
  • W


Team News

Utrecht will take to the pitch without the services of the defensive duo of Christopher Mamengi and Tommy St. Jago, who have both been sidelined through knee injuries.

Hake will also have to make do with the absence of Sylian Mokono, who continues his spell on the injury table after sustaining an injury back in August.

Meanwhile, Twente will be without the services of Kik Pierie and Jody Lukoki, who have both been sidelined through back and knee injuries respectively.

Veteran midfielder Wout Brama will miss his fifth successive game after the 35-year-old picked up a muscle problem in the game against Feyenoord on November 28.

With 10 goal contributions in 16 league games this term, Ricky van Wolfswinkel has been instrumental in Twente's early success and we expect the 32-year-old to lead the line once again.

FC Utrecht possible starting lineup:
Paes; Avest, Hoorn, Janssen, Zagre; Van Maher, Timber; Sylla, Streek, Mahi; Douvikas

FC Twente possible starting lineup:
Unnerstall; Smal, Hilgers, Propper, Troupee; Sadilek, Zerrouki; Vlap, Limnios, Misidjan; Ugalde


SM words green background

We say: FC Utrecht 2-1 FC Twente

There are just three points and three places separating the sides in the table and that should make for an exciting affair on Wednesday. Utrecht have been utterly dominant against Twente when on home turf, claiming six wins from their last six meetings, and we are tipping them to come out on top once again.



Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting under 3.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Under 3.5:data



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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 FC Utrecht win with a probability of 57.64%. A draw had a probability of 22.3% and a win for FC Twente had a probability of 20%.

The most likely scoreline for a FC Utrecht win was 1-0 with a probability of 10.47%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (9.92%) and 2-0 (9.82%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (10.57%), while for a FC Twente win it was 0-1 (5.64%). The actual scoreline of 1-1 was predicted with a 10.6% likelihood.


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Game History

How you voted: Utrecht vs FC Twente

FC Utrecht
41.9%
Draw
6.5%
FC Twente
51.6%
31
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Ron Jans, now in charge of FC Twente, pictured in September 2019
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rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1PSV EindhovenPSV1110013792830
2Ajax108112391425
3FC UtrechtUtrecht108111911825
4Feyenoord1164124121222
5FC Twente116322291321
6AZ AlkmaarAZ1152422121017
7Fortuna SittardSittard115241213-117
8Go Ahead Eagles114341519-415
9NAC BredaNAC Breda115061218-615
10NECNijmegen114161610613
11Willem II113351111012
12Heracles113351222-1012
13Sparta RotterdamSparta112541217-511
14Heerenveen113261223-1111
15Groningen112361119-89
16PEC Zwolle112361121-109
17Almere CityAlmere City11137523-186
18RKC WaalwijkRKC Waalwijk111191028-184


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