Preview: Heerenveen vs Sparta Rotterdam - prediction, team news, lineups

Two Eredivisie sides with European ambitions go head-to-head at the Abe Lenstra Stadion on Saturday evening, as Heerenveen face off against Sparta Rotterdam.

Both teams are aiming to bounce back from respective defeats last time out as the hosts fell to a 3-1 loss against PSV Eindhoven, while their visitors were beaten by the same scoreline away at AZ Alkmaar.

Match preview

Heerenveen, buoyed by back-to-back wins over Go Ahead Eagles and PEC Zwolle, looked poised to pull off one of the season’s biggest upsets when Lasse Nordas gave them the lead against table-topping PSV just before the half-hour mark on Saturday.

However, goals from Ivan Perisic, Myron Boadu and Ricardo Pepi meant Robin Veldman’s side left the Philips Stadion empty-handed, extending their winless run there, which dates back to 2009.

With FC Utrecht and Groningen also failing to win, De Superfriezen’s only consolation from matchday 24 was that their defeat in Eindhoven did not see them lose further ground in the race for a top-eight finish. They remain 10th in the Eredivisie table, just outside the European places on goal difference.

A win on Saturday would see Heerenveen climb into eighth, at least temporarily, and while December’s 3-0 victory in the reverse fixture should provide some confidence, the hosts have not won consecutive editions of this fixture since 2020.

Heerenveen’s defensive frailties also do not make for good reading, with nine matches since their last clean sheet - conceding first in six of those - and a tally of 42 goals shipped this term, the fourth-highest in the division.

After five straight Eredivisie wins, Sparta’s momentum has dwindled in recent weeks, with Sunday’s defeat to AZ ending a seven-match unbeaten run and extending their winless streak to three games.

Maurice Steijn's men conceded three goals en route to defeat at the AFAS Stadion last time out and cannot afford a repeat of that in Heerenveen, where they have failed to score in three of their last four visits.

Sitting seventh in the standings with 37 points, De Kasteelheren are six points clear of the three teams just below them, but a defeat in their upcoming encounter could see that margin halved.

Despite coming up short in their last away fixture, Sparta have picked up 19 points on the road - bettered by only three sides in the Dutch top flight - and will back themselves to get back on track this weekend.

Sparta have high-profile clashes against Ajax and PSV on the horizon after Saturday's assignment, so they will need all the confidence boosts they can get heading into the final stretch of the current campaign.

Heerenveen Eredivisie form:

Heerenveen form (all competitions):

Sparta Rotterdam Eredivisie form:

Team News

Heerenveen’s Levi Smans has been sidelined with a knee injury since the opening weekend of the season and is not expected to return until April at the earliest.

Nikolai Soyset Hopland is also unavailable for the hosts due to illness, while Sam Kersten (muscle) faces a late fitness test.

Twenty-four-year-old Lasse Nordas has scored in each of his last three matches and continues to impress following his loan move from Luton Town.

Vito van Crooij is set to miss an eighth consecutive game as he continues to recover from a knee injury picked up against Heracles six weeks ago.

Winter loanee Milan Zonneveld opened his Sparta account with a consolation goal against AZ last time out, which could see him rewarded with a start this weekend.

Heerenveen possible starting lineup:

Klaverboer; Petrov, Willemsen, Kersten, Braude; Van Overeem, Linday; Oyen, Meerveld, Trenskow; Nordas

Sparta Rotterdam possible starting lineup:

Drommel; Quintero, Martins Indi, Young, Martes; Clement, Kitolano; Mito, Santos, Van Bergen; Lauritsen

We say: Heerenveen 2-1 Sparta Rotterdam

With both sides conceding six goals in their last three matches, neither will be confident of keeping a clean sheet on Saturday.

Given their league position and home advantage, the onus is on Heerenveen to seize the initiative, and we are backing the hosts to edge a narrow victory that would give their continental hopes a significant boost.

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