Just four gameweeks remain in the 2022-23 Eredivisie season, and time is running out for those chasing top spot and battling against relegation to get more crucial points on the board.
Indeed, the title could be decided as early as this weekend, while both automatic relegation spots could also be confirmed with three games to spare.
Feyenoord, Cambuur and Groningen are the three teams whose fate could lie on results over the next few days, and here Sports Mole rounds up all of the permutations for this weekend's action in the Dutch top flight.
THIS WEEKEND'S EREDIVISIE PERMUTATIONS
© Reuters
Champions: None
Already relegated: None
WHAT COULD HAPPEN THIS WEEKEND?
TITLE PICTURE
KEY FIXTURES
Sparta Rotterdam vs. PSV Eindhoven (Saturday, 5.45pm)
SBV Excelsior vs. Feyenoord (Sunday, 1.30pm)
FEYENOORD
Feyenoord are on the brink of their first Eredivisie crown since 2016-17, boasting an eight-point lead over nearest challengers PSV Eindhoven with four games left to play.
Arne Slot's side will know whether they can win the title this weekend by the time they kick off against relegation-threatened Excelsior on Sunday, with that fate depending on how PSV fare against Feyenoord's city rivals Sparta Rotterdam.
Indeed, Rotterdam is very much the place to be for the title picture this weekend, as if PSV fail to win in the city then Feyenoord would win the title by beating another local rival in Excelsior.
RELEGATION BATTLE
KEY FIXTURES
Cambuur vs. Utrecht (Saturday, 7pm)
Emmen vs. FC Twente (Sunday, 11.15am)
Excelsior vs. Feyenoord (Sunday, 1.30pm)
Go Ahead Eagles vs. Groningen (Sunday, 1.30pm)
CAMBUUR
Cambuur are already in dire straits at the bottom of the table, and this weekend is likely to confirm their inevitable relegation down to the second tier.
Having failed to pick up a single point over the last two months, Cambuur find themselves 12 points adrift of the relegation playoff place with only 12 points left to play for, meaning that they need to win all of their remaining games and hope that either Excelsior or Emmen lose all of theirs to stand any chance of surviving.
What that means for this weekend is that if Cambuur fail to win against Utrecht on Saturday then they will be relegated, while even victory would not be enough if both Emmen and Excelsior avoid defeat in their games on Sunday.
GRONINGEN
Groningen are just one point better off than Cambuur and so find themselves in a similarly perilous situation, with their fate firmly out of their own hands.
If they fail to beat Go Ahead Eagles on Sunday then their relegation will be confirmed regardless of what happens elsewhere, while even a win may not end up being enough.
In the unlikely event that Groningen, Emmen and Excelsior all win this weekend then Groningen would join Cambuur in suffering relegation to the Eerste Divisie, but a win for Groningen coupled with either Emmen or Excelsior dropping points would at least delay the inevitable for one more match.
EREDIVISIE TABLE IN FULL
THIS WEEKEND'S EREDIVISIE SCHEDULE IN FULL
Friday, May 5
RKC Waalwijk vs. Volendam (7pm)
Saturday, May 6
Sparta Rotterdam vs. PSV Eindhoven (5.45pm)
NEC Nijmegen vs. Heerenveen (7pm)
Cambuur vs. Utrecht (7pm)
Ajax vs. AZ (8pm)
Sunday, May 7
Emmen vs. FC Twente (11.15am)
Excelsior vs. Feyenoord (1.30pm)
Go Ahead Eagles vs. Groningen (1.30pm)
Fortuna Sittard vs. Vitesse (3.45pm)
Click here for a full list of this season's Eredivisie results.
Barney Corkhill
