Preview: Sparta Rotterdam vs PEC Zwolle - prediction, team news, lineups

Sparta Rotterdam will be desperate to arrest what has been a string of bad results when they file out against PEC Zwolle at Sparta Stadion on Sunday, in one of the Eredivisie gameweek 26 fixtures.

The home side are winless in four Eredivisie fixtures, which leaves Maurice Steijn sweating on how to stop the rot, while Zwolle will also be aiming to claim their first league win in five matches as they bid to move further away from the relegation zone.

Match preview

Sparta Rotterdam’s recent poor run of results continued last time out when they suffered a 2-1 defeat on the road to Heerenveen in the previous round of fixtures, extending their winless run to four matches (D2, L2).

The Castle Lords gave a good account of themselves in that encounter, bossing possession and recording three shots on target, but they were ultimately let down by poor marksmanship.

Their current struggles have seen them slide from fifth to seventh place in the standings, taking them further away from automatic qualification for European football next season.

Looking ahead to this fixture, Maurice Steijn and his team will have their sights set on improving the quality of finishing in the final third as they look to earn their first league triumph since a 2-0 victory over Groningen on the final day of January.

Defensively, the hosts also have to tighten up at the back, as they have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last four league outings, conceding at least two goals in three of those encounters during that time.

Despite their recent dip in form, the Red-White Gladiators are favoured to get a result on Sunday, but playing at home has posed some challenges for them, with four losses in front of their fans - a record which is the worst amongst teams in the top seven in the table.

While PEC Zwolle could be upbeat about their chances of getting a result on the road to Sparta, their away record hardly offers any encouragement.

Henry van der Vegt's charges have managed only one victory across 13 league encounters away from home, with the other results being five losses and seven draws.

The visitors have not registered a win away from home since their 2-0 success at Telstar in their second game of the current campaign.

While they have been decent going forward with 34 goals scored after 25 matches, the visitors have been in shambles at the back with 50 goals conceded - a record which is the second-worst tally in the top division.

To stand a chance of getting a result, there have to be improvements at the rear, and a first clean sheet since the middle of August could be crucial to getting a favourable result on Sunday.

Nevertheless, they can draw some confidence from two consecutive draws against Utrecht (1-1) and Ajax (0-0).

Sparta Rotterdam Eredivisie form:

PEC Zwolle Eredivisie form:

Team News

As far as absentees go, the hosts have an almost fully-fit squad, with the duo of Vito van Crooij and Marvin Young unavailable.

Van Crooij has not featured for his team since a 2-1 loss to FC Volendam in the middle of January, as he is currently on the mend from a knee injury that has kept him out since then.

Young, on the other hand, is suspended for this clash due to the accumulation of yellow cards.

Elsewhere, the visitors have a mountain of injuries ahead of this fixture, leaving the visiting manager with a selection headache.

Samir Lagsir is out due to a muscle problem, as is Jamiro Monteiro, who is also recuperating from the same injury.

In addition, Jasper Schendelaar (thigh), Damian van der Haar (ankle) and David Voute (knee) are not expected to play any role in this fixture on account of injuries.

Sparta Rotterdam possible starting lineup:

Drommel; Martins Indi, Sambo, Quintro; De Ligt; Clement, Santos, Kitolano; Van Bergen, Lauritsen, Mito

PEC Zwolle possible starting lineup:

De Graaff; Floranus, Garcia McNulty, Velthuis, Gooijer; Buurmeester, Thomas, Oosting; Shoretire, Konstons, Namli