Preview: Feyenoord vs. Fortuna Sittard - prediction, team news, lineups

Joint Eredivisie leaders Feyenoord could stand alone at the top of the table if they beat Fortuna Sittard at De Kuip on Wednesday in a rescheduled gameweek three fixture.

Robin van Persie's men are level on 12 points with defending champions PSV Eindhoven, who have played five games, but the Rotterdam giants could move three clear by defeating an in-form opponent who enter the fixture riding a two-match winning streak.

Match preview

Feyenoord’s start to the 2025-26 season improved further at the weekend as Van Persie’s men beat Heerenveen 1-0 to maintain their flawless start.

However, the Stadium Club's task was complicated after match-winner Anis Hadj Moussa was sent off after 57 minutes, having scored just before the interval.

With Hristiyan Petrov's 72-minute dismissal, both teams finished the match with 10 men, a situation that undoubtedly benefitted the 16-time Eredivisie champions.

That result leaves Feyenoord just one win from moving ahead of PSV in the embryonic table, increasing the motivation for the Rotterdam giants to beat their visitors.

While last season’s corresponding match ended 1-1, history favours Feyenoord in this fixture, marked by an 11-match unbeaten streak against FSC.

Fortuna's last victory in this matchup was back in October 2019 — a 4-2 win in Limburg — but Fortunezen have since lost eight times and drawn three.

However, the away side's three draws over the past six years have all occurred in Rotterdam, with Danny Buijs in charge for the last two — a goalless game in August 2023 and a 1-1 stalemate in November last year — and the travelling supporters will hope for a third consecutive positive result under the current manager and a fourth in a row.

That ambition is bolstered by Fortuna securing consecutive wins either side of the international break, beating NEC 3-2 and promoted Telstar 3-1.

Both victories came after an opening weekend draw at home to Go Ahead Eagles and a 2-1 defeat at NAC Breda, but Fortuna have responded to that poor start by earning six points from an available six.

Nevertheless, the tendency to concede goals remains a concern for Buijs, who has seen his team ship at least two in three of their four matches, and they failed to keep a clean sheet over the weekend, indicating a vulnerable defence that could hinder them on Wednesday.

Feyenoord Eredivisie form:

Feyenoord form (all competitions):

Fortuna Sittard Eredivisie form:

Team News

Moussa is suspended following Saturday's red card, while Gernot Trauner (Achilles), Jordan Lotomba, Thomas Beelen (leg), Hwang In-Beom, Jakub Moder (back) and Shiloh 't Zand (knee) are all unlikely to start due to various injuries.

Only Groningen's Brynjolfur Darri Willumsson (five) has scored more goals this season than Ayase Ueda's four, and the forward aims to be decisive on Wednesday to add to his solitary league goal at De Kuip after August's effort against NAC Breda.

Anel Ahmedhodzic played admirably in defence during De Stadionclub’s victory over Heerenveen, winning a game-high 12 duels and making 12 recoveries, and another top performance could support the hosts' pursuit of a fourth clean sheet.

Makan Aiko was the hero for Fortuna against Telstar, with the winger’s brace helping FSC to a 3-1 win over the newcomers.

Aiko, Paul Gladon, Philip Brittijn and Mohamed Ihattaren have all scored two goals each for the away side, highlighting the encouraging distribution of goals for the club in ninth position.

Ryan Fosso, Gladon and Kristoffer Peterson will be evaluated after leaving the pitch with apparent injuries against Telstar, but Daley Sinkgraven (knee), Alen Halilovic (ankle) and Samuel Bastien (illness) may not feature.

Feyenoord possible starting lineup:

Wellenreuther; Read, Ahmedhodzic, Watanabe, Smal; Valente, Timber; Borges, Steijn, Sauer; Ueda

Fortuna Sittard possible starting lineup:

Branderhorst; Limnios, Marquez, Dahlhaus; Brittijn, Tunjic, Fosso, Lonwijk, Aiko; Ihattaren; Sierhuis

We say: Feyenoord 2-1 Fortuna Sittard

Feyenoord made life difficult for themselves last time out by getting a player sent off, but they must not play with fire against a high-scoring Fortuna.

Although the Stadium Club may concede on Wednesday, Van Persie’s team are favoured to exploit FSC’s defensive weaknesses to secure a narrow victory and move three points clear of PSV at the top of the table.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.