Preview: FC Twente vs. Heracles - prediction, team news, lineups

FC Twente welcome Heracles to the Grolsch Veste Stadium on Saturday as they seek to avoid a fifth consecutive Eredivisie loss.

Meanwhile, the away side come into the clash in search of back-to-back league triumphs for the second time in the space of a month.

Match preview

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Twente suffered defeat for the fourth league game on the spin as they were comprehensively beaten 3-0 by Fortuna Sittard on Saturday.

Lisandro Semedo's brace either side of a Mats Seuntjens penalty condemned Ron Jans's men to their 12th loss of the season.

Since their last Eredivisie triumph in February, The Tukkers have gone from eighth place to 12th position in the standings.

While it is safe to say that their continental aspirations are over, a place in the top half is still within their reach.

Saturday's hosts have a strong record in home games against the visitors with victories in six of the last seven editions, although the only defeat in that time came in the most recent clash.

Heracles saw off the threat of relegation-threatened VVV-Venlo on Saturday in a comfortable 4-0 victory at the Erve Asito.

Sinan Bakis grabbed the headlines with a hat-trick, and Rai Vloet notched up his 16th goal of the campaign to hand Frank Wormuth's men a second consecutive home win.

With 42 points from 31 outings, The Heraclieden are now up to eighth position on the log, five points ahead of Twente.

However, they are still four points adrift of Groningen who currently occupy the last European spot, so there is still work to do for Saturday's visitors.

They are unbeaten in each of the last three meetings against this weekend's hosts, including a 2-2 draw in February's reverse fixture.

Team News

Julio Pleguezuelo will not be featuring for the hosts anytime soon after he picked up a season-ending knee injury in February.

Like Pleguezuelo, Vaclav Cerny is also out for the remainder of the campaign as he remains sidelined with a damaged knee.

Kik Pierie was forced off against Utrecht due to a thigh injury which made the 20-year-old defender miss his side's last outing.

Heracles' Teun Bijleveld is currently nursing an ankle problem and as a result, he is not expected to make the trip to Twente.

Rai Vloet and Danilo are the leading goalscorers for their respective sides, and they were both on the scoresheet in the reverse fixture.

FC Twente possible starting lineup:
Drommel; Smal, Markelo, Dumic, Ebuehi; Roemeratoe, Bosch, Zerrouki; Menig, Danilo, Narsingh

Heracles possible starting lineup:
Blaswich; Quagliata, Knoester, Propper, Fadiga; Burgzorg, De la Torre, Schoofs, Jakobsen; Bakis, Vloet

We say: FC Twente 1-1 Heracles

Twente are on a poor run of form at the moment and will take anything that they can get from Saturday's game. We fancy the home side to end their losing streak by securing a hard-fought point in this one.