Willem II will host Ajax on Wednesday, with the hosts hoping to bounce back from their 5-3 loss against AZ last weekend.
Ajax, meanwhile, were able to extend their lead at the top of the Eredivisie table following their 4-2 win against ADO Den Haag on Sunday, as both sides took part in high-scoring games during their latest league fixtures.
Match preview
© Reuters
Willem have endured a hugely disappointing start to the 2020-21 season, with the club currently sitting in the relegation playoffs, having picked up just eight points thus far.
As previously mentioned, their latest league result ended in an eight-goal thriller against AZ, suffering their fourth defeat on the bounce.
However, fans may feel some slight encouragement to know that their only two victories this season have come at home, including their 2-1 triumph against VVV-Venlo last month.
If Adrie Koster can secure an unlikely win against his former club, Willem could climb to 14th spot in the table, overtaking both VVV and Fortuna Sittard.
© Reuters
Ajax, on the other hand, claimed back-to-back wins in the Eredivisie to maintain their place at the top of the table, with Erik ten Hag's men currently three points ahead of PSV Eindhoven.
Their recent 4-2 win against Den Haag featured goals from Dusan Tadic, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Zakaria Labyad, before their opponents were able to get two past Ajax in the second half.
The Amsterdam outfit have now won each of their last four away games in the league, scoring an impressive 25 goals and conceding only twice.
In fact, Ajax have only lost on two occasions this season, including their narrow 2-1 defeat against FC Twente earlier this month.
In terms of their head to head record, Ajax have won eight of their previous 10 meetings against Willem in all competitions. However, their previous encounter witnessed a 2-0 victory by Koster's men, featuring goals from Mike Tresor Ndayishimiye and Damil Dankerlui.
Willem II Eredivisie form: LLLLWL
Willem II form (all competitions): LLLLLW
Ajax Eredivisie form: WWLWWW
Ajax form (all competitions): WWWLLL
Team News
© Reuters
Willem supporters will be pleased to know that they have only one injury concern for Wednesday's game, with Dries Saddiki currently a doubt for the match against Ajax.
However, Elton Kabangu is now back in training, after the Belgian underwent his isolation period due to COVID-19.
Ajax have a few more injury problems, as both David Neres and Lassina Traore are expected to miss the upcoming match.
Quinten Timber could also miss the game through illness, leaving Ten Hag with limited options for their next league fixture.
Mohammed Kudus is back in training, however this match could come too early for the midfielder.
Willem II possible starting lineup:
Ruiter; Owusu, Van der Heijden, Peters, Kohn; Saglam, Llonch; Nunnely, Ndayishimiye, Kohlert; Pavlidis
Ajax possible starting lineup:
Onana; Klaiber, Schuurs, Blind, Tagliafico; Klaassen, Labyad, Gravenberch; Antony, Huntelaar, Tadic
We say: Willem II 1-3 Ajax
Ajax should be able to pick up a comfortable win on Wednesday, with the reigning champions now back to winning ways, despite conceding two goals against Den Haag in their previous game. Meanwhile, Willem are currently struggling in 16th place, so it is highly unlikely they will be able to claim a good result against the current leaders.
Top betting tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Ajax win with a probability of 75.95%. A draw had a probability of 14.1% and a win for Willem II had a probability of 9.95%.
The most likely scoreline for an Ajax win was 0-2 with a probability of 9.11%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (8.71%) and 0-3 (8.57%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (6.17%), while for a Willem II win it was 2-1 (2.95%). The actual scoreline of 1-1 was predicted with a 6.2% likelihood.
