Ajax will face FC Twente on Sunday afternoon in Enschede.

Both teams are in very good form, and only one point separates them in the Eredivisie table. If Ajax win and Feyenoord drop points against SC Heerenveen, the Amsterdammers would move into first place in the Eredivisie.

Twente will be high on confidence, having won their last four games in a row, scoring 18 goals across those games, while conceding only two. 

They defeated Lincoln Red Imps 1-4 in the Conference League before beating AZ Alkmaar 0-2 in the Eredivisie. They then followed that up with an emphatic 0-9 win against Excelsior last weekend and then beat Pafos 3-1 on Thursday evening.

Ajax will also feel good after winning their last five games. They beat FC Groningen 2-5 and then defeated Serie A side Atalanta 2-0 in the Conference League. They then produced a lacklustre second-half performance against Sparta Rotterdam but managed to hold onto their 1-2 lead to secure all three points. A 1-0 win against AZ Alkmaar and a 1-6 win against FC Midtjylland followed.

Speaking to FC Twente's official channels, John van den Brom, the Tukkers' head coach, explained what he expected from Michel Sanchez and the challenges Ajax might pose.

“Ajax will be much more offensive on Sunday than Pafos," Van den Brom said.

"They also have the players for that. We are naturally aware of that and have prepared the team accordingly. Both teams want to win and will look to attack.

"I expect an exciting duel between two evenly matched teams. It is a match for the top spots, and those are the matches you want to play.”

FC Twente have been the best team in the Eredivisie from a defensive point of view this season. They have conceded the least number of goals and the data proves that this is not down to luck. Teams struggle to create chances against them, and they have conceded 8,9 xGA (expected goals against) in the Eredivisie this season, the least of any team in the league.

According to the data, Twente are also the best pressing team in the Eredivisie. They have won the ball back in the final third 5,5 times per 90 minutes this season, which is the most of any team in the league.

It may be logical for Ajax to be more direct against the Tukkers. To play out from the back, they will need to ensure they have numerical superiority to play out of Twente's press, but that means it may be difficult for them to find overloads in the final third, which they will need to do against Twente's organised defensive structure.

Considering Ajax have a target man in Tolu Arokodare, playing long balls to him to bypass Twente's press may be the smart approach. If Ajax win the second ball, they can then look to build from there and commit numbers forward.

It is unclear whether Julian Brandt will be back from injury after he missed the game against Midtjylland, but his creativity in the final third would help Ajax significantly.