Sixth-placed Groningen play host to ADO Den Haag on Tuesday evening looking to improve on a run of just one win in five Eredivisie fixtures.
Meanwhile, the visitors head into this encounter having been held to a goalless draw by bottom-of-the-table-side Emmen, keeping the club in 16th position.
Match preview
Groningen boss Danny Buijs will be disappointed that his side have failed to take advantage of their excellent form from October through to the end of December.
Nevertheless, still sitting in sixth spot after recording five points from as many games is a bonus to this club, who are aware that they must get back on track if they want to challenge for Europa League qualification.
Somewhere down the line, they will need to take points off the bigger clubs, just like they did when defeating the likes of Ajax and AZ Alkmaar earlier in the campaign.
However, Buijs will stress that his players must stay focused on the games in front of them as they look to end a run of six matches without a clean sheet.
Opponents ADO Den Haag make the trip to the Hitachi Capital Mobility Stadion on the back of a stalemate with Emmen, putting them a point above the bottom two.
Ruud Brood would have been relatively satisfied with avoiding defeat against another team bidding to improve their position at the wrong end of the table, but it also represented a missed opportunity for De Ooievaars.
With nearest rivals Willem II to come on February 7, Brood's main objective will be remaining ahead of the 17th-placed side ahead of that fixture on away territory.
If that is to be achieved, they will likely have to improve in the final third with just four goals being scored during their last six matches.
Groningen Eredivisie form: WLDWDL
ADO Den Haag Eredivisie form: LLWLLD
ADO Den Haag form (all competitions): LWLLLD
Team News
Buijs must decide whether to hand a second start to Mike te Wierik, who came through 76 minutes on his debut after signing from Derby County.
Despite the narrow defeat to Vitesse, Buijs could select the same players which pushed the title contenders at the weekend.
Having been introduced as a half-time substitute against Emmen, Samy Bourard will hope to feature from the opening whistle of this game.
The rest of the team could stay the same as ADO Den Haag look to avoid defeat in successive matches for the first time since the start of December.
Groningen possible starting lineup:
Padt; Dankerlui, Te Wierik, Itakura, Gudmundsson; Matusiwa, Kaam; Messaoudi, Hankouri, Cruz; Larsen
ADO Den Haag possible starting lineup:
Koopmans; Ewijk, Fabro, Kemper, Familia-Castillo; Vejinovic, Goossens; Ratiu, Bourard, Besuijen; Kramer
We say: Groningen 3-1 ADO Den Haag
With confidence not particularly high within the Groningen ranks, ADO Den Haag will fancy their chances of causing an upset on Tuesday evening. However, we feel that the home side will deliver a response to two matches without success, eventually prevailing by a comfortable scoreline after a nervy opening hour.
Top betting tip
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