Preview: Heracles vs. Go Ahead Eagles - prediction, team news, lineups

At a time when the visitors sit in seventh position, the home side are down in 14th spot, sitting just two points above the relegation zone.

Match preview

Regardless of how the rest of the season pans out, Go Ahead Eagles will be viewed as one of the surprise packages in European's top leagues.

Nevertheless, there will be disappointment if they cannot take the chance of finishing in fifth, Ajax currently three points ahead of them with nine games remaining.

Recent defeats to Twente and PSV Eindhoven have led to Rene Hake's side failing to take advantage of the inconsistent form of Ajax, yet a 1-0 victory over RKC Waalwijk sandwiched in between kept things ticking over.

There are some key matches for Go Ahead Eagles to come in recent weeks, a trip to Ajax on April 4 being followed a home showdown with Feyenoord on April 25.

For now, though, Hake's side need to rediscover their touch on their travels, with three of their four away successes this season preceding the one-sided 3-0 loss at Twente last month.

As far as Heracles are concerned, they are very much involved in a relegation scrap, a consequence of collecting just three wins from their last 18 league fixtures.

Those triumphs have been enough to keep a seven-point buffer ahead of the bottom two, yet going four fixtures without success has brought the relegation playoff spot into play.

That said, the three defeats need to be put into context, coming at PSV Eindhoven, in-form FC Utrecht and Feyenoord respectively, with a 2-2 draw being posted with Almere City on March 3.

Erwin van de Looi is aware that any kind of survival in the top flight for last season's second-tier champions will be regarded as a success, yet Heracles are some way away from that given that matches with Twente and AZ Alkmaar follow Friday's contest.

Heracles Eredivisie form:

L

W

L

L

D

L

Go Ahead Eagles Eredivisie form:

W

D

W

L

W

L

Team News

Changes will likely be made to the Heracles XI with Navajo Bakboord in line to return at right-back.

Sven Sonnenberg will also expect to be recalled to the middle of the defence, with Jannes Wieckhoff and Kelvin Leerdam potentially missing out.

Jizz Hornkamp is likely to keep his spot ahead of Mohamed Sankoh despite failing to make an impact against Feyenoord.

Despite the narrow defeat to PSV, it is plausible that Hake will look to keep with the same Go Ahead Eagles side that started that fixture.

Key midfielder Philippe Rommens has been absent since January and that will remain the case for this contest, but playmaker Bobby Adekanye is pushing for a recall despite remaining as an unused substitute last time out.

Heracles possible starting lineup:

Brouwer; Bakboord, Soonenberg, Hoogma, Oppegard; Keersmaecker, Hrustic; Limbombe, Bruijn, Roosken; Hornkamp

Go Ahead Eagles possible starting lineup:

De Lange; Deijl, Nauber, Kramer, Kuipers; Linthorst, Blomme; Breum, Willumsson, O.Edvardsen; V.Edvardsen

We say: Heracles 1-2 Go Ahead Eagles

Although Go Ahead Eagles have been indifferent over recent games, the level of opposition is the main reason for that. Heracles should push the visitors hard over the course of the 90 minutes, yet we expect Go Ahead Eagles to come through with a hard-earned win.

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