A huge clash at the bottom of the Eredivisie table sees Sparta Rotterdam and PEC Zwolle go head to head at the Sparta Stadion Het Kasteel on Saturday evening.
With the sides currently separated by just one point in the league standings, neither will want to come away empty-handed from this weekend's meeting in Rotterdam.
Match preview
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Still buoyed by a 4-0 triumph against Willem II five days prior, their largest victory of the season, Sparta Rotterdam went in search of consecutive wins when they visited the Rat Verlegh Stadion to face off against NAC Breda.
Maurice Steijn's men got off to a perfect start by taking the lead after just 12 minutes through midfielder Carel Eiting before relinquishing their advantage to a Leo Sauer equaliser just past the hour mark.
A win would have moved De Kasteelheren two points clear of the relegation zone, but they remain level on points with 16th-placed Willem II, albeit with a vastly superior goal difference, which could come in handy later.
With four of their last five games coming against the current top-four sides, Sparta will need to put some daylight between themselves and the drop zone sooner rather than later, and a victory this weekend is almost non-negotiable.
Having been beaten in both of the most recent two meetings between the teams, including a 1-0 defeat in November's reverse fixture, Saturday's hosts will be desperate to get the better of their visitors this time around.
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Zwolle could not have picked a worse time to hit arguably their worst form of the season, as Sunday's 1-0 defeat to Ajax made it three defeats from four matches, while also extending their winless streak to five matches.
In all fairness, Johnny Jansen's men gave a good account of themselves against the champions elect, but a Kenneth Taylor penalty right after the hour was enough to settle a nervy encounter at the MAC³PARK Stadion.
After picking up seven points from a possible nine between January 18 and February 2, De Blauwvingers looked set to pull away from relegation danger, but their recent struggles have sucked them right back into what is shaping up to be a frenetic battle for survival.
Unlike Sparta, Zwolle have a relatively easier schedule to close out the campaign, although they will be keen to guarantee their top-flight safety as quickly as possible to extend their two-year stay in the Eredivisie since returning from the second division in 2023.
Given their wretched away record of just one win from 12 matches (joint fewest alongside RKC Waalwijk and Almere City), Saturday's visitors will need to dig in massively if they are to secure a rare three points on the road.
Team News
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Joshua Kitolano is a guaranteed absentee for Sparta Rotterdam here as he remains unavailable with a muscle problem that has seen him miss five straight matches.
On-loan midfielder from Twente, Carel Eiting, recently opened his account for the home side against Breda and will be looking to deliver the goods once again.
Tristan Gooijer and Samir Lagsir are unavailable for Zwolle due to respective knee injuries, while Danish midfielder Younes Namli continues to nurse a groin problem.
The away side will also take to the field without the services of Nick Fichtinger, who was hauled off against Ajax less than half-an-hour after coming on as a second-half substitute.
Sparta Rotterdam possible starting lineup:
Olij; Van Aanholt, Eerdhuijzen, Young, Bakari; Zechiel, Eiting; Mito, Hlynsson, Van Bergen; Lauritsen
PEC Zwolle possible starting lineup:
Schendelaar; Aertssen, Graves, MacNulty, Van der Haar; El Azzouzi, Van den Berg; Mbayo, Thomas, Krastev; Vente
We say: Sparta Rotterdam 2-1 PEC Zwolle
Given what is at stake here, we are expecting a keenly-contested affair with a plethora of chances at both ends.
That said, we can also see Sparta just about doing enough to edge out Zwolle and come away with maximum points.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joshua Ojele
