Preview: Heerenveen vs. FC Utrecht - prediction, team news, lineups

Aiming for a third league win on the spin, FC Utrecht travel to the Abe Lenstra Stadion on Saturday to face Heerenveen.

On the other hand, the hosts did not taste victory in any of their last two matches, and will be looking to get back to winning ways.

Match preview

Heerenveen upset the odds on Sunday as they secured a point versus PSV Eindhoven courtesy of a 2-2 stalemate at the Philips Stadion.

Quickfire goals from Yorbe Vertessen and Cody Gakpo turned the game on its head in the second half after Tibor Halilovic's first-half opener, but Siem de Jong struck just before the hour mark to ensure that the points were shared.

Johnny Jansen's men moved up into 11th place in the aftermath of that draw, and are still just two points away from the top half.

Saturday's game sees De Superfriezen go up against a side who they last beat three years ago in a Europa League playoff meeting.

Since then, there have been six meetings between the teams from which the hosts have only picked up two points, with one of them coming in October's reverse fixture.

Utrecht survived a late fightback from Willem II to claim a 3-2 victory when the sides met at the Stadion Galgenwaard on Saturday.

Rene Hake's men were in the driving seat at half time as they possessed a two-goal lead courtesy of Sander van de Streek's early goal and Sven van Beek's own goal just before the interval.

Sebastian Holmen and Kwasi Okyere Wriedt struck either side of Gyrano Kerk's clincher to set up a frenetic final 10 minutes, but the Domstedelingen held on for a crucial win.

They have now opened up a four-point lead over Groningen in seventh and are drawing increasingly nearer to a return to Europe.

Team News

Joey Veerman and Henk Veerman recently tested positive for COVID-19, and are both unavailable for the home side as they remain in isolation.

Mark van der Maarel served his one-game suspension for accumulation of yellow cards last time out, and he is eligible to participate this weekend.

Utrecht's Reda Akmum is unavailable for the game as he remains sidelined with a damaged knee which has kept him out since February.

Christopher Mamengi is on course to make a comeback later in the month from an ankle injury which he picked up while in action with the reserve team.

Sander van de Streek has scored in each of his last two matches, and he is now up to double figures for goals this season.

Heerenveen possible starting lineup:
Mulder; Kaib, Van Hecke, Dresevic, Floranus; Kongolo, Schone, De Jong; Nygren, Van Bergen, Halilovic

FC Utrecht possible starting lineup:
Oelschlagel; Warmerdam, Janssen, Van der Maarel, Ter Avest; Van Overeem, Van de Streek, Maher; Boussaid, Kerk, Gustafson

We say: Heerenveen 1-2 FC Utrecht

Utrecht have been a major force to be reckoned with on the road all season long, and we are tipping them to claim yet another victory on the road, albeit by only a narrow margin this time around.