AZ Alkmaar make the trip to Heracles on Sunday looking for the win that they require to kick-start their bid to guarantee a European place next season.
At a time when the visitors sit in sixth position in the Eredivisie table, Heracles are 10th and very much in the race for the top eight.
Match preview
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Despite the solid job that Maarten Martens has done with AZ, they have been prone to putting positive and negative streaks together throughout his reign.
Prior to the winter break, five successive wins were recorded in the Eredivisie, a run that was backed up by three further victories in a row in February.
However, either side of them, AZ have struggled for wins, and their ongoing five-match run without getting success on the board has left them at risk of missing out on European qualification.
After three successive draws that saw seven goals scored and conceded, AZ went down 1-0 to Feyenoord last time out, creating a 10-point deficit to third with six games left.
As such, trying to chase down the seven-point gap to fourth is more realistic, particularly when FC Twente in fifth are the highest-placed team left to play.
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AZ head into this fixture having won just one of their most recent six away fixtures in Eredivisie at a time when Heracles have only lost two away matches all season.
Erwin van de Looi‘s side are currently on course to improve on their 14th-placed finish from last season, helped by losing just twice since the winter break.
Three victories have been posted in their last seven fixtures, including a win over Twente, and one more win will likely be enough to ensure that a relegation battle is out of the question.
Heracles also enter this contest on a three-game unbeaten run, points also being collected at Heerenveen and RKC Waalwijk, and they now sit just two points behind eighth position.
Team News
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Mario Engels is likely to be drafted back into the Heracles XI after his half-time introduction at RKC Waalwijk.
Juho Talvitie could be the player to miss out in what may prove to be the only change, with Thomas Bruns, Sava Cestic and Nikolai Laursen all in line to miss out through injury.
Martens will need to make a change at left-back for AZ with David Moller Wolfe serving a suspension for an accumulation of yellow cards.
Mees de Wit is in line to replace him, yet that may prove to be the only change despite the narrow defeat at home to Feyenoord.
A wide array of players, including Jordy Clasie and Mayckel Lahdo, remain on the sidelines through injury.
Heracles possible starting lineup:
Keijzer; Wieckhoff, Mirani, Mesik, Rots; Keersmaecker, Scheperman; Talvitte, Kaam, Podgoreanu; Hornkamp
AZ Alkmaar possible starting lineup:
Zoet; Kasius, Goes, Martins Indi, De Wit; Koopmeiners, Buurmeester; Sadiq, Belic, Poku; Parrott
We say: Heracles 1-2 AZ Alkmaar
Given AZ’s recent dismal streak at an important period of the season, Heracles will fancy their chances of maximum points. However, we are backing the visitors to finally get back on track, potentially through a late goal.
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