Ninth-placed Sparta Rotterdam host 17th-placed FC Volendam on Sunday at the Sparta Stadion in the Eredivisie.
The home side have 40 points, just two points shy of a potential place in the Conference League, while visitors Volendam are second from bottom, 21 points behind Sparta Rotterdam, and at serious risk of automatic relegation with four games remaining.
Match preview
Home side Sparta Rotterdam come into the game in good form having won three of their last five in the Eredivisie, including a 3-2 away win over Almere City last time out on April 13.
In fact, only first-placed PSV Eindhoven, second-placed Feyenoord and seventh-placed Utrecht have picked up more points in their last five league games than Sparta.
That good form has fuelled hopes of securing a European place, with Sparta Rotterdam just two points from a UEFA Conference League playoff spot while also having a game in hand on eighth-placed Go Ahead Eagles.
However, manager Jeroen Rijsdijk, who was promoted from the assistant role in July 2023 following Maurice Steijn's departure for league giants Ajax, has had a middling tenure overall.
His side went unbeaten in his first four Eredivisie games, winning two, but this was followed by a run of 11 losses from 22 league games that included just six wins.
As for Sparta's home form, it has largely been poor under Rijsdijk and his side have failed to win 11 of their 15 Eredivisie matches at the Sparta Stadion, conceding 24 times and only keeping three clean sheets in the process.
By contrast, the club won 10 of 17 home games in the Eredivisie last season, and conceded just 18 times.
However, Sparta Rotterdam's overall rate of 1.43 goals conceded per game this season is roughly in line with their record in 2020-21 and 2021-22, so perhaps last term's particularly low rate of 1.09 per game should be seen as an outlier.
As for FC Volendam, their defensive record is currently the worst in the Eredivisie having conceded 74 times, including six in their last two games; if this record continues then they are unlikely to overhaul 16th-placed RKC Waalwijk, who are five points above them and occupy the league's relegation playoff spot.
Volendam come into the game in predictably poor form; though they have picked up six of their 19 points in their last six matches, they have just one win in their last 14 Eredivisie fixtures.
In fact, they have only won twice in their previous 21 league games and have already lost 19 times this season, once more than they did in the entirety of last term.
It should be noted that Volendam managed to secure a vital three points against fellow strugglers RKC Waalwijk on April 7, though a 4-0 loss to Excelsior in their most recent match halted any potential momentum that they could have gained.
Perhaps some of Volendam's struggles can be attributed to turmoil off the pitch, with then-boss Matthias Kohler resigning in December 2023 following disputes between the supervisory board and the board of the club.
Then-assistant coach Michael Dingsdag and Volendam Under-21 head coach Regillio Simons were appointed as a duo in place of Kohler, and on December 21, Simons was signed permanently as Volendam's first team head coach.
However, Simons has lost eight out of 14 league games during his short tenure, with his solitary victory being that win over Waalwijk on April 7.
With that in mind, an away trip to Sparta Rotterdam could be daunting for Volendam, especially considering that they have only won twice away from home in the Eredivisie since they were promoted in 2022-23, and that they have the second-worst away record of any team in the Eredivisie this season.
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Team News
Sparta Rotterdam come into the game with minimal absentees and were boosted by the return of top scorer Tobias Lauritsen last time out against Almere City earlier this month.
Django Warmerdam is a doubt, while fellow midfielder Joshua Kitolano will remain absent for this clash, and could miss the remainder of the season after sustaining a groin injury.
Metinho and Pelle Clement have started together as a pair at the base of midfield in Sparta Rotterdam's last five games, and will likely continue in Kitolano's place.
As for Volendam, they have several issues to contend with in terms of absentees.
Midfielders Joey Antonioli, Diego Gustavo, Milan de Haan, and forwards Bilal Ould-Chikh and Robert Muhren are doubts for the game against Sparta Rotterdam.
Simons's side also carry two suspensions, with centre-back Benaissa Benamar accumulating too many yellow cards while forward Safouane Karim received two yellows in Volendam's last game.
Xavier Mbuyamba also had a defibrillator fitted earlier in April and is unlikely to feature.
As for Volendam's lineup itself, young forward Vivaldo could be in line to replace the injured Muhren, while Brian Plat will likely replace Benamer in defence.
In midfield, Damon Mirani and George Cox have started the last three games together, so the pair could be well placed to continue.
Sparta Rotterdam possible starting lineup:
Olij; Bakari, Vriends, Eerdhuijzen, Van der Kust; Metinho, Clement; Mito, Verschueren, Saito; Lauritsen
FC Volendam possible starting lineup:
Backhaus; Buur, Plat, Flint, Plat; Mirani, Cox; Booth, Maulun, Johnson; Vivaldo
We say: Sparta Rotterdam 4-1 FC Volendam
Although Sparta Rotterdam's home record is far from perfect, they should come into the game buoyed by their good form.
Additionally, the defensive frailties of Volendam cannot be ignored, and considering that they have several absentees, it is feasible that Sparta could hamper any remaining hope that Volendam have of Eredivisie survival.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Lewis Nolan
