Feyenoord will be looking to strengthen their position at the top of the Eredivisie standings when they play host to NEC on Wednesday.
At a time when Feyenoord sit two points clear in first place, NEC are in ninth spot, despite putting together a five-game unbeaten streak.
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On any occasion when you earn a draw with Ajax, you cannot be too disappointed, but there can be no doubt that Feyenoord were feeling frustrated with only securing a share of the spoils with the champions on Sunday.
Feyenoord held a first-half advantage before being pegged back after the break, plus it extended the visitors' winless run to six matches, further indication that they have become fallen giants in 2022-23.
On a positive note, Feyenoord were able to prolong their unbeaten streak in the league to 10 games, and they still hold a two-point lead at the summit.
However, AZ Alkmaar were able to cut the deficit, while there is now just a seven-point gap between Feyenoord and sixth-placed Sparta Rotterdam.
With PSV Eindhoven and AZ to come by February 18, Arne Slot knows that there is a certain level of pressure to take advantage of games such as the one on Wednesday.
That said, NEC should not be disregarded as simply another mid-table team having lost just three times in 17 fixtures this season.
Although 10 of those encounters have ended in draws, Rogier Meijer's team have recently collected 11 points from five outings, the third win of that period coming versus Emmen on Saturday.
NEC now look comfortable in the mid-table spots, as well as 10 points clear of the bottom three, but there is plenty of work ahead if they wish to gatecrash the top six.
Feyenoord are unbeaten at De Kuip in the league this season, but NEC have only lost two of their eight fixtures on the road, those defeated coming at Sparta Rotterdam and PSV in October.
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Given the three-day turnaround, Slot may insist on introducing fresh legs into his Feyenoord XI for this contest.
Santiago Gimenez could be recalled down the middle of the attack, while Javario Dilrosun seems likely to feature in a creative role.
Meanwhile, Meijer may stick with the same starting lineup which begun the victory over Emmen.
Meijer was able to rest player during the closing 15 minutes of that contest, something which could contribute to no alterations being made.
Oussama Tannane remains out of contention as he serves the second of his two-match ban for his red card versus Vitesse.
Feyenoord possible starting lineup:
Bijlow; Pedersen, Geertruida, Hancko, Hartman; Wieffer, Kokcu; Dilrosun, Szymanski, Paixao; Gimenez
NEC possible starting lineup:
Cillessen; Van Rooij, Marquez, Sandler, Verdonk; Schone, Dueland, Proper; Tavsan, Dimata, Cissoko
We say: Feyenoord 2-0 NEC
With NEC currently one of the form teams in the Eredivisie, they cannot be totally dismissed from causing a surprise versus the leaders. Nevertheless, there is a reason why Feyenoord have only lost one in 17 league matches, and it is a record that we expect them to strengthen on Wednesday.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Darren Plant
