Utrecht will look to seal a place in the UEFA Europa League as they face Twente in the second leg of the Eredivisie play-off on Sunday.
Jan Wouters’ men hold a two-goal advantage following a 2-0 away win from Thursday’s first leg in which they made their most of their opportunities to stun the home crowd at De Grolsch Veste.
However, despite their relatively comfortable aggregate lead, the Stadion Galgenwaard outfit will know they face a difficult task to ensure their place in Europe against a side which finished just a point behind them in the regular season, and lost just three games away from home during the campaign.
Wouters’ side will have to try and secure victory without two of the starting XI which negotiated a tricky first-leg on Thursday, with Jan Wuytens and Akwasi-Nana Asare both suspended.
Twente will also have to deal with the absence of a first-team regular, with left-back Edson Braafheid banned after he was cautioned in the first leg.
A place in European competition looks unlikely for Michel Jansen’s side, and the form guide is certainly against them, with Utrecht having won two of the three encounters between the two sides this term.
The visitors will be expected to place the goalscoring onus on attacking trio Luc Castaignos, Nacer Chadli and Dusan Tadic, who have netted 36 league goals between them in the campaign.
However, they face a Utrecht defence which posted the fourth best defensive record in the division. Wouters’ side will be able to test their strength on the continent if they can maintain their defensive solidity in the second leg.
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