Sparta Rotterdam shall be attempting to get out of the relegation playoff spot this weekend when they travel to face Cambuur in their latest Eredivisie fixture.
The hosts head into the fixture after three games in a row without a win, while the visitors have not won a game since November.
Match preview
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Cambuur currently find themselves in the top half of the table after a strong start to the season, winning nine matches so far in this campaign.
However, they are without a victory in their previous three encounters in all competitions, suffering two defeats and then a draw, which ended their 2021 poorly.
Despite Michael Breij giving his team the lead against Heracles, they ended up being pegged back by an equaliser in the second half, leading a 1-1 draw in their most recent outing.
This was the first time that Cambuur have shared points all season, as their games have been all or nothing previously, which is the type of form that has served them well.
Having scored 32 goals already this season, their attacking style has worked out in their favour, but they have also shipped in 39, which is the second-worst record in the league.
Sparta Rotterdam, on the other hand, have only managed to find the back of the net 15 times, which has been an issue for them in terms of picking up points this season.
This is one of the reasons they find themselves in the bottom three, currently occupying the relegation playoff spot, which they will be hoping to escape from.
A victory on Sunday has the potential to do that depending on other results, but they will need an improved performance from the last time they met their opponents.
Cambuur ran away with a 4-0 victory at the start of the season in a game that saw Sparta Rotterdam finish with 10 men, which is something they shall be keen to not repeat.
However, they are without a victory since November, which is concerning form for Henk Fraser, and something that they will need to turn around before it is too late.
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Team News
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Duke Schmidt will continue to serve a suspension following his red card, which is something that Cambuur had to deal with in their previous outing as well.
David Sambissa is an injury concern for the club as well, but other than him they do boast a fit squad, unless there are any COVID-19 cases.
Sparta Rotterdam will have a change in goal for this outing due to Maduka Okoye's transfer to Watford, meaning Rijk Janse could step in for this match.
Meanwhile Adil Auassar is suspended for Sunday, which will rule him out, but Michael Heylen should step in and fulfil the role in defence.
Cambuur possible starting lineup:
Stevens; Bangura, Schouten, Mac-Intosch, Van Der Meer; Jacobs, Hoedemakers, Maulun; Kallon, Uldriks, Doodeman
Sparta Rotterdam possible starting lineup:
Janse; Pinto, Heylen, Beugelsdijk, Vriends, Masouras; Mijnans, Abels, Smeets; Van Crooy, Engels
We say: Cambuur 2-1 Sparta Rotterdam
Even though Sparta Rotterdam have drawn their three previous league games, they head into this one as the underdogs due to their league positioning.
Cambuur are certainly the favourites in this one, and the goal threat that they provide should be enough to secure them all three points.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Cambuur win with a probability of 43.49%. A win for Sparta Rotterdam had a probability of 31.93% and a draw had a probability of 24.6%.
The most likely scoreline for a Cambuur win was 2-1 with a probability of 9.06%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-0 (8.74%) and 2-0 (6.89%). The likeliest Sparta Rotterdam win was 1-2 (7.57%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (11.5%). The actual scoreline of 1-1 was predicted with an 11.5% likelihood.
