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

Sparta Rotterdam and PEC Zwolle open round five of the 2025-26 Eredivisie campaign with a clash at Het Kasteel on Friday night.

Separated by just one point and a single place in the table, both sides have endured underwhelming starts to the season and are in need of a win.

Match preview

After salvaging a late 3-3 draw against Utrecht, Sparta suffered stoppage-time heartbreak last Saturday, falling 2-1 to Excelsior as Nesto Groen struck in the 92nd minute to seal their fate.

New manager Rogier Meijer has endured a challenging start to life in Rotterdam since returning to the Eredivisie after a spell with NEC, which ended in June 2025. Still, the 44-year-old's experience at this level suggests he will remain composed amid early setbacks.

Meijer’s next test comes against a Zwolle side he is unbeaten against in seven previous meetings (W4, D3), though Sparta themselves have struggled in this fixture, failing to win any of the last five encounters and losing three.

De Kasteelheren’s home form has also been poor, with just one win from their last eight league games. Since the start of April, they have collected only six points from ten matches.

With a daunting fixture against the reigning champions looming after Friday, the home side will hope to regain some momentum before heading to Eindhoven for what promises to be their toughest test of the season so far.

© Imago / Goal Sports Images

PEC Zwolle ended last season among the bottom four teams for points over the final five gameweeks, finishing just one place above the drop zone. Their sluggish start to the current campaign has therefore come as little surprise.

The decision to retain Henry van der Vegt after a disappointing campaign raised eyebrows among the Zwolle faithful, and the Dutchman is now under increased scrutiny following Saturday’s 4-1 defeat to NEC Nijmegen.

Only Telstar have scored fewer Eredivisie goals this season than De Blauwvingers’ three, with last season’s top scorer Koen Kostons responsible for all but one.

Zwolle sit 13th in the table ahead of their trip to Sparta, where they are unbeaten in their last three visits, collecting five points from a possible nine.

Like their hosts, the away side also face a challenging round six fixture against Feyenoord, making Friday’s contest even more important as they seek a morale-boosting result.

Zwolle have opened the scoring in four of their last five meetings with Sparta but have also conceded the first goal in eight of their last 10 matches, highlighting a tendency to start slowly.

Sparta Rotterdam Eredivisie form:

PEC Zwolle Eredivisie form:

Team News

© Iconsport

Twenty-year-old Robin van Cruijsen was forced off with injury in Sparta’s last outing and is a doubt for Friday’s match.

If van Cruijsen is deemed unfit, Casper Terho is expected to come into the starting XI for his third start of the season.

Milan Zonneveld has scored in each of his last two appearances for Sparta and is set to retain his place in the lineup following Nokkvi Thorisson’s departure.

Jan Burgen will have to wait for his Zwolle debut as he continues to recover from an injury that sidelined him for much of last season.

Younes Namli remains a definite absentee for the visitors, having not featured since April due to a knee injury.

Sparta Rotterdam possible starting lineup:

Bednarek; Martes, Young, Martins Indi, Kuipers; Baas, Toornstra; Van Bergen, Terho, Mito; Zonneveld

PEC Zwolle possible starting lineup:

Schendelaar; Floranus, Viergever, Graves, Aertssen; Sommer, Thomas; Cissoko, Oosting, Mbayo; Kostons

We say: Sparta Rotterdam 2-1 PEC Zwolle

Zwolle’s victory over Heerenveen two weeks ago was their first league away win in over a year, underlining their struggles on the road.

While Sparta have not been particularly strong at home, we expect them to do enough to claim all three points on Friday.

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