Go Ahead Eagles and Cambuur are both looking to return to winnings ways on Saturday, when they meet at De Adelaarshorst in Deventer, in gameweek 27 of the Eredivisie.
Cambuur seem unlikely to be able to push for a Europa Conference League playoff spot, currently sitting ninth and seven points adrift of seventh place, while this weekend's hosts need to continue to pull away from the relegation zone with a five-point gap between themselves and 16th.
Match preview
© Reuters
The KNVB Cup has been the competition to thank for Go Ahead Eagles in recent months, as they have only managed one win in their last 12 league outings, but a further three victories in the cup have helped lift spirits in the camp.
After being knocked out of that competition at the semi-final stage earlier this month, Kees van Wonderen needs to find a way to get his team winning in the Eredivisie.
Last time out, the Eagles fell to a 1-0 defeat against relegation-threatened Sparta Rotterdam, who did create the better chances last weekend and limited Go Ahead Eagles to very little in the attacking third.
This Saturday's home team have struggled to find the back of the net on their travels this season, but being back on their own patch for this encounter should suggest that they will pose a bigger threat in front of goal, having netted seven more times on home soil.
However, Cambuur will prove to be a tough test for Go Ahead Eagles, given Henk de Jong's side's good record away from home this campaign, picking up one more point on their travels than they have managed at their own ground.
Cambuur's form is similar to their hosts' in the fact that they have only recorded one win in their last 10 league matches, meaning that this weekend's clash is a good opportunity for one of these sides to end that string of results.
Issa Kallon and Patrick Joosten thought that their goals on Friday meant that they could secure a draw against league leaders Ajax after coming from 2-0 down to level the match, but a 92nd-minute strike from Ryan Gravenberch sent Cambuur to a 3-2 defeat.
A major area that has let Cambuur down this season is their defensive record, having conceded 55 goals in 26 matches so far, the highest total in the whole division, which suggests that Go Ahead Eagles will get on the scoresheet this weekend.
It was goals galore in the last meeting between these two sides in the reverse of this fixture, with Cambuur coming out as 5-2 winners in September.
- L
- L
- D
- W
- D
- L
- L
- D
- W
- L
- D
- L
- L
- L
- L
- W
- L
- L
Team News
There is no new injury concerns for Van Wonderen to worry about ahead of this clash, meaning that Isac Lidberg and Inigo Cordoba can continue to lead the line, looking to add to their 10 goals between them this campaign.
Ragnar Oratmangoen, Luuk Brouwers and Philippe Rommens will make up the midfield trio, while Jay Idzes could drop deeper into the defensive line alongside Gerrit Nauber and Joris Kramer as a back three.
Cambuur striker Roberts Uldrikis is closing in on a return to action after picking up an injury in early February but he currently remains sidelined.
Maxim Gullit and goalkeeper Sonny Stevens will also be absent from the visitors' squad due to injury, meaning that Pieter Bos will continue between the posts.
De Jong could name an unchanged 11 from the side which nearly earned a point against Ajax last time out, with Tom Boere and Kallon leading the line as a striking duo.
Go Ahead Eagles possible starting lineup:
Noppert; Kuipers, Kramer, Nauber, Idzes, Deijl; Oratmangoen, Brouwers, Rommens; Lidberg, Cordoba
Cambuur possible starting lineup:
Bos; Bangura, Schouten, Tol, Ter Heide, Sambissa; Maulun, Hoedemakers, Paulissen; Boere, Kallon
We say: Go Ahead Eagles 1-2 Cambuur
These two teams are expected to be similarly matched given their recent form, but with a slightly better record away from home compared to own their own patch, Cambuur may just have enough to claim all three points.
Both the Eagles and Cambuur are likely to get on the scoresheet with neither side boasting a good defensive record, but the visitors are expected to have more quality in their attacks.
Top tip
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 Cambuur win with a probability of 39.51%. A win for Go Ahead Eagles had a probability of 35.16% and a draw had a probability of 25.3%.
The most likely scoreline for a Cambuur win was 0-1 with a probability of 8.89%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (8.61%) and 0-2 (6.4%). The likeliest Go Ahead Eagles win was 1-0 (8.3%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (11.95%). The actual scoreline of 3-0 was predicted with a 2.5% likelihood.
