Both looking to build on respectable home points last time out, FC Utrecht will welcome high-flying SBV Excelsior to Stadion Galgenwaard on Sunday night in the Eredivisie.
The hosts are enjoying their longest unbeaten spell of the term and seem primed to climb out of the bottom three, while Excelsior are starting to stutter following a sensational opening to their season.
Match preview
After a spell of three successive defeats against NEC, newly-promoted Almere City and strugglers FC Volendam over a month ago, FC Utrecht have strung together a four-game unbeaten run across all competitions, which has made the clouds swirling around Stadion Galgenwaard a lot less gloomy.
Following the first-round KNVB Cup win over RKC Waalwijk on Halloween, the Cupfighters welcomed top-three chasing FC Twente to their home patch and forced the Tukkers to share the spoils, with Oscar Fraulo bagging his second goal of the term before Sem Steijn equalised from the spot for Joseph Oosting's men.
With Utrecht finishing seventh or higher in the Dutch top flight in all of the last eight campaigns, the club's current standing of 17th with eight points after 11 games is highly concerning, but it is understood that Ron Jans is set to be afforded time to turn things around, with the 65-year-old only taking the reins in September.
A real issue for Sunday's hosts this season has been posing a significant threat in attacking areas, with Borussia Monchengladbach loanee Fraulo and Ryan Flamingo leading the club's Golden Boot race having scored two goals each - only three sides have netted on fewer occasions than the Cupfighters so far in the division.
Since the 5-1 humbling against Dutch champions Feyenoord and the 2-0 loss to top-flight newcomers Almere, Jans's charges have fared reasonably well at their Stadion Galgenwaard home, earning results against Ajax, Waalwijk and Twente across the Eredivisie and KNVB Cup.
Excelsior hosted title-chasing AZ Alkmaar last Saturday knowing they needed to regain their defensive solidity following second-half capitulations against PEC Zwolle and Volendam at the end of October, and the Rotterdam-based club did remarkably well to earn a point from their contest with the Eredivisie's second-placed side.
The SBV backline of Casper Widell and Sven Nieuwpoort did superbly to keep Greek striker Evangelos Pavlidis quiet for the visitors, with the 24-year-old having the fewest touches of any player to complete 90 minutes and failing to score in a league match for the first time this campaign.
With Pascal Jansen's men starting to flex their offensive prowess in the second period, AZ took the lead in Rotterdam through Swede Mayckel Lahdo, but Club Brugge loanee Cisse Sandra popped up with his maiden goal of the Eredivisie term to force a share of the spoils at Van Donge & De Roo Stadion.
After securing their first-tier status with a respectable 15th-placed finish last term, Marinus Dijkhuizen's side have their sights set on lofty ambitions this time around, and Excelsior are currently seventh in the league table, two points inside of the Europa Conference League playoff places.
Nikolas Agrafiotis is leading the club's scoring charts with five league goals, but the Serbian has been forced to settle for a place on the bench recently due to the form of Tottenham Hotspur loanee Troy Parrott, who instantly became a fans' favourites after netting the winner against local rivals Sparta Rotterdam in October.
Team News
Utrecht have been hit with a major blow to their attacking ranks this week, with Belgian striker Anthony Descotte ruled out until the New Year after undergoing surgery on a knee injury.
Former Ole Romney will be a shorter-term absentee for Sunday's hosts, but the former FC Emmen attacker will not feature before the next international break.
Manager Jans could make some alterations to his offensive line as the Cupfighters aim to find their ruthless streak, meaning the likes of Victor Jensen and Bart Ramselaar could be promoted to the starting XI.
As for Excelsior, Redouan El Yaakoubi picked up an injury in training ahead of last weekend's clash with Alkmaar, and the 27-year-old is still for a doubt for Sunday night's fixture.
Midfielder Lennard Hartjes is expected to be sidelined this weekend as he continues to recover from a serious knee injury, with the youngster last appearing during the seven-goal thriller against NEC in August.
With Parrott and Agrafiotis fighting for the title of SBV's focal point, veteran forward Mike van Duinen is yet to kick a ball for Excelsior in the 2023-24 term due to injury.
FC Utrecht possible starting lineup:
Barkas; Ter Avest; Van der Hoorn, Sagnan, Leilendal; Fraulo, Flamingo, Azarkan, Jensen, Ramselaar; Lidberg
SBV Excelsior possible starting lineup:
Van Gassel; Horemans, Widell, Nieuwpoort, Zagre; Fitz-Jim, Baas, Sandra; Lamprou, Driouech, Parrott
We say: FC Utrecht 1-2 SBV Excelsior
With both of these teams collecting good points last weekend, Utrecht and Excelsior will be in optimistic moods ahead of Sunday night's clash at Stadion Galgenwaard.
The hosts are unbeaten in their last three home matches across all competitions, but we believe that streak will come to an end against SBV in this one.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Carter White
