Aiming to keep their survival hopes alive, relegation-threatened Vitesse will welcome Sparta Rotterdam to the GelreDome on Tuesday night for an Eredivisie clash.
The Vites are tumbling towards second-tier football following a worrying winless run of late, whilst De Kasteelheren recorded a handsome victory in their most-recent fixture.
Match preview
Since the 2-1 success over SBV Excelsior on February 25, Vitesse have endured a four-game winless run in the Eredivisie, meaning that they went through the entirety of March without earning maximum points, collecting just the single result from a clash with Almere City prior to the international break.
The Vites did not have much of a chance as they travelled to AFAS Stadion to face AZ Alkmaar on Saturday, and the contest followed the intended script closely, with a pair of second-half goals from Dani de Wit and leading marksman Vangelis Pavlidis securing all three points for the hosts.
Having tasted victory in just one of their Eredivisie matches in the last 10, Edward Sturing's men are languishing in the relegation places in the top-flight standings, sitting in 17th spot, with 15th-placed RKC Waalwijk having a sizeable six-point cushion over the Arnhem-based outfit.
Sturing's side have struggled massively since the departure of attacker Million Manhoef during the January transfer window, with the side's leading goalscorer in the league upping sticks and securing a switch to Championship outfit Stoke City, where the 22-year-old has made seven appearances to date.
Vitesse's record at their Arnhem base this season is extremely concerning for supporters - Tuesday's hosts have won just once and collected only eight points from 13 Eredivisie matches at the GelreDome this campaign, with only Volendam (seven) earning fewer points in home games so far.
A run of four-straight matches without defeat prior to the calendar year's first international pause threatened to completely derail Sparta Rotterdam's chances of making it into the top eight, but Saturday's thumping of divisional rivals Fortuna Sittard helped change the narrative.
Netting his eighth goal of the league season, Arno Verschueren breached the goal of Michael Verrips to hand De Kasteelheren the lead at half time versus the visiting Fortuna, before a second-half brace from Tobias Lauritsen and a Camiel Neghli counter sealed a four-goal success.
Jeroen Rijsdijk's men currently occupy ninth position in the Eredivisie table with just seven matches left to play in the season, lying two points behind eighth-placed FC Utrecht, who were handed a drubbing at the home of current Dutch champions Feyenoord during their most-recent fixture.
Sparta are looking to secure three-straight victories at the GelreDome on Tuesday night following back-to-back wins in Arnhem during 2022, when Norwegian marksman Lauritsen netted a brace as Maurice Steijn's De Kasteelheren romped to a 4-0 win over Phillip Cocu's Vitesse.
Team News
Vitesse have severely missed the goalscoring abilities of Fode Fofana since September, with the 21-year-old PSV loanee suffering a knee injury during the early part of the campaign.
Sturing's options in attack are further limited by the absence of Mexx Meerdink, who is expected back in the middle of April following a groin issue.
Michael Pinto sustained a knee injury in Luxembourg's loss to Georgia in the Euro 2024 playoffs during the international break, with the 30-year-old set to be sidelined until early May.
Speaking of left-backs, Sparta Rotterdam are hoping to have Django Warmerdam at their disposal after the defender missed the last two matches.
Joshua Kitolano is also a doubt for De Kasteelheren on Tuesday night, with the 22-year-old netting five goals from midfield before picking up a fitness issue at the start of March.
Vitesse possible starting lineup:
Room; Arcus, Isimat-Mirin, Hendriks, Cornelisse; Aaronson, Tielemans, Van Ginkel; Moussa, Boutrah, Buitink
Sparta Rotterdam possible starting lineup:
Olij; Bakari, Vriends, Eerdhuijzen, Van der Kust; Metinho, Clement, Mito, Verschueren, Saito; Lauritsen
We say: Vitesse 1-2 Sparta Rotterdam
Considering their woeful record at the GelreDome this season, Vitesse supporters will not be expecting much from their side as Sparta come to town on Tuesday night.
Buoyed following their four-goal success over Fortuna, De Kasteelheren should be primed and ready to secure back-to-back wins in the Eredivisie for first time since this campaign.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Carter White
