Ajax will look to extend their unbeaten run to 12 games in all competitions when they travel to De Adelaarshorst to face Go Ahead Eagles on Sunday.
The hosts, on the other hand, enter the contest in the midst of a nine-match winless run in the Eredivisie as they search for their first league victory of 2022.
Match preview
At the end of November, Go Ahead Eagles sat in eighth position after 14 Eredivisie games, but three points from the nine games since has seen them drop down to 13th place.
Sunday's hosts now find themselves four points above the relegation playoff place, and their task does not get any easier with the league leaders coming to town on Sunday.
Kees van Wonderen's side missed an opportunity to end their winless run last weekend when they squandered a two-goal lead in their away fixture against Twente.
Isac Lidberg opened the scoring in first-half stoppage time before Inigo Cordoba doubled the advantage for Go Ahead Eagles, but a Joris Kramer own goal and a strike from Joshua Brenet ensured that the contest would end in a 2-2 draw.
No side has conceded more in their last six Eredivisie games than Go Ahead Eagles, which is a concern ahead of a contest with the highest scorers in the Dutch top flight.
With 11 league matches left to play, Ajax enjoy a six-point gap at the top after winning their previous seven Eredivisie games by an aggregate score of 21-1.
Although, they did see a run of 10 consecutive victories in all competitions come to an end in midweek as they were held to a 2-2 draw in the first leg of their Champions League tie against Benfica.
Dusan Tadic gave Ajax the lead in that contest before a Sebastien Haller own goal levelled the encounter, but the striker did make amends three minutes later as he found the net at the right end of the pitch to give the Dutch champions a 2-1 lead at half time.
However, Roman Yaremchuk restored parity in the 72nd minute to deny Ajax a victory in Portugal, although Erik Ten Haag will be content with the tie being level ahead of the second leg at the Johan Cruyff Arena in March.
Their focus this weekend will turn back to the title race, and with Sunday's visitors yet to lose away in any competition this season, they will be supremely confident about the prospect of victory at the weekend.
- L
- L
- D
- L
- L
- D
- W
- D
- L
- W
- L
- D
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
- D
Team News
The hosts are expected to be without the services of Nick Hengelmann, Giannis-Fivos Botos and Frank Ross.
Bas Kuipers is suspended for Sunday's contest due to an accumulation of yellow cards, with Boyd Lucassen expected to take his place at left-back.
Cordoba scored his seventh league goal of the season last weekend, and he will be looking to add to that tally on Sunday.
As for the defending champions, they are expected to be without the services of Brian Brobbey, who missed out due to a knee problem.
Davy Klaasen dropped to the bench for the Benfica contest, but the 29-year-old is expected to come back into the starting lineup for Sunday's away trip.
Having scored 16 goals this season, Haller is the current Eredivisie top scorer with the Ivory Coast international looking to add to that tally at the weekend.
Go Ahead Eagles possible starting lineup:
Noppert; Martina, Nauber, Kramer, Lucassen; Deijl, Rommens, Brouwers, Oratmangoen; Lidberg, Cordoba
Ajax possible starting lineup:
Pasveer; Mazraoui, Timber, Martinez, Blind; Klaasen, Alvarez, Berghuis; Anthony, Tadic; Haller
We say: Go Ahead Eagles 0-3 Ajax
Ajax are heavy favourites for Sunday's contest, and we think that the league leaders will make light work of a Go Ahead Eagles side that are currently enduring a poor run of form.
Top tip
body check tags ::
Previews by email
