Ajax go in search of a fifth consecutive Eredivisie win on Saturday when they play host to Sparta Rotterdam at the Johan Cruyff ArenA.
The home side are also looking to complete a league double over their visitors off the back of a narrow 1-0 win in the reverse fixture.
Match preview
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Ajax saw off the threat of a dogged Groningen side in a comeback 3-1 triumph at the Hitachi Capital Mobility Stadion on Saturday.
Erik ten Hag's men fell behind to Jorgen Strand Larsen's opener before turning the game on its head through quickfire goals from Davy Klaassen and Dusan Tadic in first-half stoppage time after which Steven Berghuis sealed the deal late in the second period.
De Godenzonen are now four points clear of PSV Eindhoven at the top of the standings following the latter's failure to pick up all three points last time out.
The defending champions now prepare for the challenge of an opposing outfit who have lost each of the last 10 meetings involving the teams stretching back to 2010.
With the KNVB-Beker final against PSV to follow this weekend's game, Saturday's hosts will be eager to secure a morale-boosting win ahead of next week's grand finale.
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Sparta played out a second consecutive stalemate courtesy of a 1-1 draw versus Heerenveen at the Abe Lenstra Stadion on Sunday.
Vito van Crooy broke the deadlock in the 52nd minute to give Henk Fraser's men the lead before parity was restored by Amin Sarr midway through the second half.
The Red-White Gladiators are still in the relegation zone as things stand, one point away from safety with two games in hand on Willem II.
Having scored the fewest away goals in the entire division, Saturday's visitors are faced with a daunting task as they set out to pick up a first victory on the road since November.
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Team News
Dusan Tadic has scored in each of his last four league outings, and the 33-year-old is definitely one to keep an eye on.
Antony is now eligible to feature once again having served a one-game ban, but the Brazilian is ruled out due to an ankle injury.
Maarten Stekelenburg and Remko Pasveer miss out through hip and finger injuries respectively, while Sean Klaiber continues to battle with a knee problem.
Tom Beugelsdijk will be pushing for a start here after he was handed a second-half cameo on his return from injury.
Lennart Thy endured a disappointing day in front of goal last time out, but the forward should retain his place in the starting XI for this one.
Ajax possible starting lineup:
Onana; Blind, Schuurs, Timber, Mazraoui; Gravenberch, Klaassen; Tadic, Kudus, Berghuis; Haller
Sparta Rotterdam possible starting lineup:
Okoye; Durmisi, Auassar, Vriends, Abels; Namli, Verschueren, De Kamps, Van Crooy; Engels, Thy
We say: Ajax 3-0 Sparta Rotterdam
Ajax have dominated this fixture to a large degree, and we expect more of the same on Saturday. We fancy the hosts to secure a comfortable victory and continue their march towards a 36th league crown.
Top 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 93.43%. A draw had a probability of 5% and a win for Sparta Rotterdam had a probability of 1.55%.
The most likely scoreline for an Ajax win was 3-0 with a probability of 13.41%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 4-0 (12.74%) and 2-0 (10.58%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (2.39%), while for a Sparta Rotterdam win it was 0-1 (0.63%). The actual scoreline of 2-1 was predicted with a 4.5% likelihood. Our team at Sports Mole and our data analysis both correctly predicted that Ajax would win this match.
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