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

Sparta Rotterdam welcome Fortuna Sittard to the Het Kasteel on Sunday aiming to avoid a third consecutive defeat of the new Eredivisie season.

Meanwhile, the away side will be looking to return to winning ways following a share of the spoils in their last outing before the international break.

Match preview

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Sparta Rotterdam were left empty-handed away from home for the second game running as they suffered a 2-0 defeat against newcomers Go Ahead Eagles at De Adelaarshorst two Saturdays ago.

Justin Bakker broke the deadlock six minutes into the game with a coolly taken penalty, before Giannis-Foivos Botos made sure of the result right on the hour mark.

Following that disappointing loss in Deventer, Henk Fraser's men are currently bottom but one in the Eredivisie table, one point clear of PEC Zwolle. They will aim to get their season up and running this weekend against a Fortuna side who have won just one of the last eight clashes between the teams.

However, that solitary victory came in the most recent encounter back in February, when Saturday's hosts fell to a 2-1 defeat on home turf.

Fortuna Sittard dropped points for the first time this season as they were held to a 2-2 stalemate in their meeting with RKC Waalwijk on August 27.

Sjors Ultee's men took the lead through Samy Baghdadi but soon found themselves trailing courtesy of Michiel Kramer's brace, only for Mats Seuntjens to restore parity midway through the second half.

The Fortunezen are in eighth position with four points having played just two games after their meeting with AZ Alkmaar initially scheduled for August 22 got called off.

Sunday's visitors, who picked up 23 of 41 points last season on the road, now set their sights on another feather in the cap away from home.

Team News

Fortuna's Lisandro Semedo is still battling with an ankle problem, and the 25-year-old will miss his side's trip to Rotterdam this weekend.

Following his goal and assist last time out, Mats Seuntjens has now been involved in three of the visitors' four goals this term, and he is one to keep an eye on.

Defender Mica Pinto will serve the first of a three-game suspension in this one courtesy of a straight red card in Sparta's loss to Go Ahead Eagles.

Twenty-year-old Gaultier Overman is likely to be the biggest beneficiary of Pinto's unavailability, as he is expected to fill in at left back.

Sparta Rotterdam possible starting lineup:

Okoye; Overman, Heylen, Vriends, Abels; Auassar, Duarte, Thy; Mijnans, Van Crooy, Emegha

Fortuna Sittard possible starting lineup:

Van Osch; Ferati, Janssen, Angha, Rota; Hansson, Tekie, Duarte; Flemming, Seuntjens, Baghdadi

We say: Sparta Rotterdam 2-0 Fortuna Sittard

The visitors head into the contest in better form and will back themselves to pick up a positive result. However, Sparta boast the better record in this fixture, and we are tipping the home team to breathe life into their campaign by claiming all three points in this one.