Preview: Sparta Rotterdam vs Willem II - prediction, team news, lineups

Both looking to revive their Eredivisie campaigns, Sparta Rotterdam and Willem II face off at Sparta Stadion Het Kasteel on Saturday.

The hosts enter the contest winless in their last six matches, while the visitors are still searching for their first victory of the 2026-27 campaign.

Match preview

After entering the international break off the back of consecutive defeats by a combined score of 8-1, Sparta Rotterdam were staring down the barrel of another loss last time out - trailing 3-2 against Go Ahead Eagles before Casper Terho salvaged a point with six minutes remaining.

While Rogier Meijer’s men will be relieved to have avoided three straight league defeats for the first time since December 2024, they remain winless since beating Telstar 3-1 on matchday two and have taken just two points from their last five outings, with only two teams in the division having picked up fewer.

Now 13 league games without a clean sheet dating back to last season, De Kasteelheren have struggled defensively, and their wastefulness in attack - converting just over a third of their big chances - has compounded their problems.

As he showed during his NEC tenure, Meijer is no stranger to turning things around after a poor start. However, failure to secure maximum points against newly promoted opponents this weekend would further increase the pressure on the already under-fire 45-year-old.

Saturday’s hosts are one of six Eredivisie sides yet to register a home win this season. With three consecutive home matches in league and cup on the horizon, Sparta cannot afford to remain lacklustre in front of their fans.

When Thomas Didillon converted the decisive spot-kick that sealed Willem II’s return to the Eredivisie back in May, the celebrations were euphoric, but beneath the surface lingered doubts about the club’s ability to compete at the top level.

Just eight games into the new campaign, those concerns have proved well-founded - John Stegeman’s men sit bottom of the standings with no wins and only two points following Sunday’s 3-1 defeat to Utrecht, which was a third consecutive loss and a fourth in five games.

Having lost each of their last four league meetings with Sparta - including a 4-0 defeat in the most recent encounter - De Superkruiken’s prospects of returning to winning ways at Het Kasteel look bleak, especially given they have failed to score on three of their last four visits.

With only one goal scored and seven conceded in the opening 45 minutes of matches this term, Willem II have regularly paid the price for sluggish starts, a trend they cannot afford to continue this weekend, having conceded first in eight of their last nine editions.

Just four days after seeing his former team PEC Zwolle become the first Eredivisie club to sack their manager this season, Stegeman will know that another defeat could edge him closer to the exit door.

Sparta Rotterdam Eredivisie form:

Willem II Eredivisie form:

Team News

Mitchell van Bergen has missed Sparta’s last two matches and is not expected to feature in Saturday’s clash.

The 27-year-old is one of two confirmed absentees for the hosts, alongside Shunsuke Mito, though both are nearing a return to action.

Dutch duo Amine Lachkar (groin) and Justin Hoogma (knee) are unavailable for Willem II, as is Armin Culum, who is still recovering from a foot problem.

Willem II's first-choice goalkeeper Thomas Didillon remains sidelined, so Maxime Delanghe will again deputise between the sticks.

Kasper Boogaard featured in each of his side's first five matches but has missed the subsequent three with a knock.

Sparta Rotterdam possible starting lineup:

Brouwer; Martes, Young, Verschuren, Martins Indi, Kuipers; Van Cruijsen, Toornstra, Hatenboer, Babadi; Zonneveld

Willem II possible starting lineup:

Delanghe; Tjoe-A-On, Dekker, Stam, Ter Avest; Vilhena, Twigt; Van Crooy, Van Aalst, Slory; Haen