Two teams who could do with a victory this weekend, albeit for very different reasons, will go head to head at De Grolsch Veste on Sunday as FC Twente and Almere City face off.
The hosts are currently embroiled in a frenetic battle for the final guaranteed European spot, while the away side are up against it in the race to avoid relegation.
Match preview
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Following their recent exit from the Europa League playoff round, Twente’s remaining possible route to continental football is via the league standings, and on that front, they have the glass half empty, half full.
A 1-1 stalemate against Groningen last time out saw Joseph Oosting‘s men drop to fifth in the Eredivisie table which would only guarantee them a shot at the Conference League playoffs rather than direct qualification for UEFA’s latest club competition.
While the Tukkers would have been disappointed to come away with just one point against a side they have not lost to since 2017, Saturday’s stalemate at Euroborg saw them extend their unbeaten run in the league to five games, during which they have picked up nine points, behind only Ajax in the entire division.
Twente will now set out to get back to winning ways, and their record in this weekend’s fixture certainly makes for good reading with five victories and a draw from the previous six editions spanning the last seven years.
Ahead of a crunch meeting against fourth-place Feyenoord next weekend, Sunday’s visitors will be keen to remain within touching distance of their biggest competition in the race for an automatic European spot before the teams face off in their final outing before the March international break.
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With every passing matchday, Almere City’s return to the Eerste Divisie is becoming increasingly likelier, and Sunday’s defeat to champions elect Ajax has left them with a mountain to climb in their relegation scrap.
Despite putting on a valiant display, Jeroen Rijsdijk‘s men were undone by one goal for the second game running as Kenneth Taylor‘s eighth-minute strike proved to be the all-important moment at the Yanmar Stadion.
De Zwarte Schapen can take solace from the fact that none of their relegation rivals managed to claim all three points last time out, but they remain a whopping 10 points adrift of safety heading into the final 10 games.
In addition to their defensive malaise which has seen them concede the second-most goals in the division (48), a lack of attacking impetus has also contributed to Almere’s struggles so far, leaving them with significant room for improvement at both ends of the pitch.
Having managed just one away victory all season long, Sunday’s game is as good a time as any for the visitors to double that tally if they are to stand any chance of sparking a late revival in the battle to beat the drop.
Team News
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With just four appearances under his belt this term, Younes Taha is still not available for FC Twente and could miss the remainder of the current campaign.
Sem Steijn has found the back of the net five times in his last seven games across all competitions for the home side, making the midfielder one to keep an eye on here.
Frenchman Theo Barbet is out of contention for this weekend’s encounter due to a knee injury that has seen him sit out each of Almere’s last three matches.
The away side will also have to make do with the absence of Alejandro Carbonell, who is, however, closing in on a return to action from a muscle problem.
FC Twente possible starting lineup:
Unnerstall; Kuipers, Lagerbielke, Hilgers, Van Rooy; Sadilek, Vlap; Booth, Steijn, Rots; Van Wolfswinkel
Almere City possible starting lineup:
Bakker; Zagaritis, Lawrence, Visus, Akujobi; Haye, Tahiri; Hansen, Robinet, Kadile; Brym
We say: FC Twente 2-1 Almere City
Almere City are running out of time to save themselves, and a defeat this weekend would bring them increasingly closer to a top-flight exit.
We expect the away side to put up a decent fight, but we are also backing the home team to get the job done in the end.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
