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

Both teams recently returned to winning ways last time out and will be keen to pick up where they left off in their most recent involvement.

Match preview

Vitesse ended a run of eight games without a win dating back to last season thanks to a 1-0 victory over Groningen at Euroborg on Sunday.

Thomas Letsch's men broke the deadlock in the 77th minute through Matus Bero, and that was enough to secure all three points in a tight affair.

Geel en Zwart have climbed to 14th place in the Eredivisie table but are currently outside the bottom three only by the virtue of having a superior goal difference.

Off the back of a first triumph in six games on the road in their most last away outing, Sunday's visitors go in search of consecutive wins on enemy territory for the first time since May.

Utrecht picked up their first win of the campaign at the fifth time of asking thanks to a thrilling 4-3 victory over Fortuna Sittard on Friday.

After going ahead through Bas Dost, Henk Fraser's men were pegged back by Rodrigo Guth before an Anastasios Douvikas hat-trick decided the game, rendering strikes from Burak Yilmaz and Tijjani Noslin inconsequential.

As a result, the Domstedelingen have moved up to 11th place in the league standings and are now just a point adrift of a spot in the top half.

Coming up next is the task of going up against an opposing outfit who are unbeaten in six of the last seven meetings between the teams, recording five wins and a draw.

One of only two sides yet to find the back of the net on home turf, Sunday's hosts will be looking to up the ante at the attacking end of the pitch as they go in search of consecutive victories.

FC Utrecht Eredivisie form:

FC Utrecht form (all competitions):

Vitesse Eredivisie form:

Vitesse form (all competitions):

Team News

Tommy St Jago, Bart Ramselaar and Reda Akmum are currently battling with knee injuries and will not be available to feature for Utrecht in this one.

Meanwhile, Ramon Hendriks continues to face an extended spell on the treatment table due to a cruciate ligament rupture, and the 21-year-old is also ruled out for the away side.

Anastasios Douvikas is expected to be rewarded with a place in the starting XI here after his goalscoring heroics off the bench last time out.

Vitesse's Markus Schubert is still down with a long-term shoulder injury which has seen him miss each of the last eight games on the bounce.

Dutchman Mitchell Dijks will have to wait a little longer for his debut for the away side as he is yet to recuperate from an ankle injury.

FC Utrecht possible starting lineup:

Barkas; Van der Kust, Viergever, Van der Maarel, Ter Avest; Boussaid, Brouwers, Toornstra, Sylla; Dost, Douvikas

Vitesse possible starting lineup:

Reiziger; Wittek, Cornelisse, Meulensteen, Flamingo, Arcus; Vidovic, Kozlowski, Tronstad, Bero; Bialek

We say: FC Utrecht 2-1 Vitesse

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