We pick six players to watch in Ajax's crucial Eredivisie match against Feyenoord on Sunday...
AJAX
Lasse Schone
Somewhat of a late bloomer, Schone joined Ajax in 2012 on the back of an impressive season for NEC Nijmegen which also saw him make an international breakthrough with Denmark. The 28-year-old helped NEC to their highest Eredivisie finish (8th) in four years in his final campaign, with his importance to the team underlined by the club subsequently dropping to 15th and then suffering relegation in 2013/14.
Schone, on the other hand, has gone on to bigger and better things. After hitting nine goals and eight assists in 29 Eredivisie matches last season, the versatile forward is already on course to break those tallies with six strikes and seven assists in the current campaign, as well as three goals in the Champions League.
Schone's delightful through-ball teed up Ricardo Kishna's opener in Ajax's last match - a 2-0 win over Groningen - and he will be keen to make another telling contribution when Feyenoord visit the Amsterdam Arena on Sunday.
Arkadiusz Milik
As Ajax's joint-top scorer in Eredivisie and European competition - tied with Schone on nine goals - Milik has made a huge impression since joining on loan from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer.
The 20-year-old enjoyed mixed success with Augsburg in a similar spell last season, but has really kicked on under Frank de Boer's tutelage. Despite scoring only twice before the end of October, his goal in the 3-1 victory over Go Ahead Eagles opened the floodgates, with six strikes and four assists coming in the next eight matches.
As well as proving a crucial component of Ajax's title challenge, Milik has played a key role in Poland's rise to the top of Group D in Euro 2016 qualifying. His opening goal in the 2-0 win over world champions Germany cemented his place in the side, and three more goals have followed against Scotland, Georgia and Switzerland.
Davy Klaassen
After making the breakthrough at Ajax last season following the sale of Christian Eriksen to Spurs, Klaassen has continued to impress in the current campaign with five goals and eight assists - the highest total in the Eredivisie.
Such has been the quality of the 21-year-old's performances that club legend Johan Cruyff likened him to Xavi Hernandez and Toni Kroos in October. However, despite his talent in a holding midfield role, manager Frank de Boer currently sees Klaassen suited more to a playmaker position, dictating matches with his vision for a killer pass and eye for goal. "Davy is an attacking midfielder who can play centre forward," said De Boer. "He’s definitely very talented."
Arsenal have been linked to a player dubbed the 'new Bergkamp' in some quarters of the media, but Klaassen is expected to continue his development at Ajax for the foreseeable future, with Sunday's clash offering him another chance to prove his ability.
FEYENOORD
Colin Kazim-Richards
A player well-known to English football fans, Kazim-Richards leads the scoring stakes at Feyenoord thanks to seven goals in his first 14 Eredvisie matches.
After struggling to make a name for himself during spells at Olympiakos, Blackburn and Bursaspor in recent years, the former Bury and Galatasaray forward has hit the ground running in the Netherlands. His 89th-minute equaliser almost earned Feyenoord a 3-3 draw at league leaders PSV in December - only for Memphis Depay to hit an injury-time winner - and a week later the 28-year-old notched the decisive goal in a 1-0 win at NAC Breda.
It seems Kazim-Richards' European tour has finally reached a positive conclusion, and he will be eager to extend his somewhat surprising success story against Ajax.
Terence Kongolo
If you blinked, you will have missed Kongolo's single minute of World Cup action for the Netherlands, which came at the end of the 2-0 group stage victory over Chile. Despite his lack of minutes, it was an important learning experience for the versatile defender, and reward for a successful season in which he helped Feyenoord to second place and a crack at Champions League qualifying.
Louis van Gaal is known to be a big fan, with rumours linking Manchester United to a bid for the highly-rated defender, although it's also thought that Manchester City hold an interest having already signed his younger brother, Rodney.
Kongolo's strengths lie in his versatility and aerial ability. Having played the second-highest number of minutes for Feyenoord in the Eredivisie, the 20-year-old will hope to maintain his team's impressive defensive record (16 goals conceded in 18 matches) which has only been bettered by leaders PSV.
Jordy Clasie
Given fears of an exodus at Feyenoord in the summer, which saw Graziano Pelle and Daryl Janmaat make moves to the Premier League, it was a surprise to see the club retain the services of the highly-rated Clasie. The 23-year-old only played 149 minutes at the World Cup, but Louis van Gaal's faith in his ability was reinforced by the midfielder starting the semi-final against Argentina.
After deciding to stay at De Kuip, Clasie has developed his skills as a box-to-box enforcer, averaging the third-highest tackles per game for Feyenoord this season. It is for this reason, combined with his composure on the ball, that Dutch football writer Michiel Jongsma of Benefoot.net suggests Clasie would have been a better recruit than Daley Blind for Manchester United.
Playing alongside former Aston Villa midfielder Karim El Ahmadi in midfield, the Feyenoord duo have developed a dynamic understanding that should pose a significant threat to Ajax on Sunday. It is likely to be in this area of the pitch where the game will be won or lost.
Watch Ajax v Feyenoord live on Sky Sports 5 HD from 11.20am on Sunday.