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

Fortuna Sittard’s slim chances of reaching the European play-offs could be extinguished on Sunday when they host second-placed Feyenoord at Fortuna Sittard Stadion in the 32nd gameweek.

Separated by 10 places in the Eredivisie table, the travelling supporters will be aware of their side’s seven-year unbeaten run in this fixture, which they aim to extend as they move closer to securing the division’s runners-up spot.

Match preview

After beating FC Volendam in gameweek 27, Fortuna were firmly in the mix to finish in the European play-off places at the end of the regular season.

Eleventh in the table at the time, Danny Buijs’s team were on 35 points, three behind FC Utrecht in eighth with seven matches to play.

However, results since that 2-1 win over Volendam in mid-March have not been kind to FSC, who have lost three of their next four, only avoiding defeat in a 1-1 draw with second-bottom NAC Breda.

Now six points adrift of eighth-placed Utrecht with three games remaining, Sittard must earn nine points from nine across the next three gameweeks and hope for a Utrecht collapse to have any chance of finishing in the play-off positions.

While they retain a mathematical chance of overtaking the side in eighth, it feels a tad unrealistic given the presence of Groningen, Sparta Rotterdam and Go Ahead Eagles in the equation.

Feyenoord, currently in second place, are guaranteed European football for the 2026-27 season; however, Robin van Persie’s team still need to secure their spot in the Champions League, as the battle for second place remains undecided.

The Rotterdam giants enter the 32nd gameweek on 58 points, one more than NEC and two higher than Ajax and FC Twente, who both have 54.

Finishing behind champions PSV Eindhoven assures Feyenoord of direct qualification for the Champions League; third takes them to the third qualifying round in Europe’s premier club competition; fourth means they feature in the Europa League second qualifying round; and sliding to fifth gives them nothing but a European play-off spot.

As such, the jeopardy facing the Stadium Club in the campaign’s closing weeks remains high, even if they were out of the title picture long before PSV’s coronation.

With the teams around them also picking up points — NEC have earned nine points from the last five rounds, while Ajax and Twente have 10 each — Van Persie’s men cannot rest on their laurels as the campaign draws to a close.

They do head into Sunday aware that they have not lost in this fixture since a 4-2 defeat in October 2019, and the Stadium Club will strive to extend their 13-match unbeaten run against FSC, which includes 10 victories.

Fortuna Sittard Eredivisie form:

Feyenoord Eredivisie form:

Team News

Ivo Pinto is suspended following his straight red card last time out away at Heerenveen, while Alen Halilovic, Edouard Michut, Justin Lonwijk, Luka Tunjic, Daley Sinkgraven, Ramazan Bayram and Mattijs Branderhorst are all sidelined.

Six of Kaj Sierhuis’s 10 goals have come at Fortuna Sittard Stadion, and the forward hopes to add to that tally as FSC seek to end a three-match run without success in front of their fans.

Paul Gladon may have scored five fewer than the home side’s leading scorer, but his tally ranks third behind Sierhuis and Mohamed Ihattaren, the latter of whom has netted six.

Feyenoord have an unabating list of injuries, with Hwang In-beom, Gijs Smal, Anel Ahmedhodzic, Shaqueel van Persie, Sem Steijn, Malcolm Jeng, Leo Sauer, Bart Nieuwkoop and Thomas Beelen all expected to miss Sunday’s match.

Ayase Ueda cannot stop scoring, with last weekend’s brace taking him to 25 Eredivisie goals, 17 more than Anis Hadj Moussa, who is next on the list, underlining the Rotterdam outfit’s reliance on their leading marksman.

Ueda’s goals account for 38.5% of the Stadium Club’s 65 strikes, a ratio that surpasses that of every other Eredivisie team to doubly highlight the importance of the forward, whose seven match-winning strikes are a league high.

Fortuna Sittard possible starting lineup:

Koopmans, Kasanwirjo, Adewoye, Hubner, Dahlhaus; Brittijn, Oukili; Ihattaren, Duijvestijn, Limnios; Sierhuis

Feyenoord possible starting lineup:

Wellenreuther; Deijl, Watanabe, Kraaijeveld, Bos; Targhalline, Valente; Moussa, Moder, Sterling; Ueda

We say: Fortuna Sittard 0-2 Feyenoord

Fortuna Sittard may prove stubborn on home soil, but Feyenoord’s superior quality and greater urgency in the race for second should ultimately tell over the 90 minutes.

Given the visitors’ strong record in this fixture and Ueda’s prolific form, a routine Feyenoord win looks the most likely outcome.

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