Separated by just three points and one place in the Eredivisie table, RKC Waalwijk and Heerenveen lock horns at the Mandemakers Stadion on Saturday.
Both sides come into this one having found wins and points hard to come by of late, and a victory here would do the world of good for either team.
Match preview
Waalwijk had nothing to show for a spirited display versus Ajax on Sunday following a 3-2 defeat against the defending champions at the Johan Cruyff ArenA.
After going two goals down to a Sebastien Haller first-half double, Joseph Oosting's men came out fighting in the second period and restored parity through strikes from Michiel Kramer and Richard van der Venne, before a late Dusan Tadic penalty settled the contest.
RKC are in 14th place as things stand, three points above the relegation zone with nine rounds of matches left to play in the 2021-22 season.
Winless in the last seven meetings between Saturday's opponents dating back to 2013, the hosts will be looking to turn the tide as they seek to steer clear of danger.
With games against three of the current top seven - Vitesse, Utrecht and PSV - to follow, the importance of a positive result this weekend cannot be overemphasized ahead of what is set to be a defining period.
Heerenveen snapped an eight-game losing streak across all competitions with a goalless draw against Willem II at the Konig Willem II Stadion on Saturday.
Johnny Jansen's men had their backs against the wall for the majority of the contest but held firm to secure a crucial point in Tilburg.
Picking up just one of the last 24 points up for grabs, De Superfriezen have fallen to 13th place in the standings but still possess a relatively healthy six-point gap over the bottom three.
Off the back of a 3-2 victory in August's reverse fixture, Saturday's visitors can take a huge step towards securing their Eredivisie status for next season by completing a league double over their hosts come the final whistle.
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Team News
Twenty-six-year-old Pawel Bochniewicz remains sidelined with a knee injury and will not play any part for this weekend's visitors.
Amin Sarr still awaits his first Heerenveen goal since arriving from Mjallby in the winter transfer window, but the Swede's spot in the starting XI is not expected to be under any immediate threat.
Forward David Min is yet to feature in the current campaign due to a long-term knee problem, and the Dutchman is not available to take part on Saturday.
Sebbe Augustijns has missed Waalwijk's last 11 games through a leg injury which he sustained in a KNVB-Beker clash versus lower league opposition Harkemase Boys.
Issam El Maach was handed a rare start last time out due to Etienne Vaessen's absence, and the former could be set for back to back starting appearances for the first time this term.
RKC Waalwijk possible starting lineup:
El Maach; Wouters, Touba, Van den Berg, Adewoye, Gaari; Van der Venne, Anita, Bakari; Kramer, Odgaard
Heerenveen possible starting lineup:
Mulder; Woudenberg, Dresevic, Van Beek, Van Ewijk; Madsen, Haye, De Jong; Sarr, Halilovic, Van Hooijdonk
We say: RKC Waalwijk 1-0 Heerenveen
As with most games involving sides in the lower echelons of the table, we are expecting a nervy and cagey affair with both teams focusing on not losing rather than going for all three points. However, Waalwijk have a slight edge playing in front of their fans, and we can see them nicking this one by the odd goal.
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 Heerenveen win with a probability of 40.05%. A win for RKC Waalwijk had a probability of 33.76% and a draw had a probability of 26.2%.
The most likely scoreline for a Heerenveen win was 0-1 with a probability of 10.01%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (8.59%) and 0-2 (6.9%). The likeliest RKC Waalwijk win was 1-0 (9.03%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.45%). The actual scoreline of 0-0 was predicted with a 7.3% likelihood.
