Sparta vs Volendam – News and Probable Lineups

Sparta Rotterdam is set to return to the pitch on Saturday, facing FC Volendam at Het Kasteel in a home Eredivisie clash, hoping to turn around their disappointing form of late.

This match offers a significant chance for the home team to assert their superiority in this league encounter, while the visitors are looking to build on their KNVB Cup triumph from January.

Match overview

The fact that Maurice Steijn’s squad has gone without a win in six Eredivisie fixtures is worrying, leaving them outside the European qualification spots after a strong start to the year that had seen them rise to fifth place.

Their previous outing saw a crushing 4-0 defeat to Ajax, representing one of three losses in this series without a victory, while the other three games ended in stalemates against PEC Zwolle, NEC Nijmegen, and Fortuna Sittard.

They last tasted victory at the end of January, breaking a five-match winning run that began prior to the winter break, and have since been unable to secure a win throughout February and March.

Having garnered just three points from the last 18 available, which is the second-lowest total in the Eredivisie, pressure continues to grow on De Kasteelheren, who risk missing out on European qualification next season.

Despite their recent difficulties, the Castle Lords have remained unbeaten in their last four home league outings, with the last loss at home occurring in December against Heerenveen, and their overall home performance features five wins, four draws, and four defeats from 13 matches.

In their latest encounter against Volendam, the Red-White Gladiators suffered a 2-1 defeat in the Cup at the Sparta Stadion in January, though they had secured a 1-0 away triumph in the corresponding league matchup in December.

Volendam make their way back to Sparta for a second encounter this calendar year after their KNVB Cup victory in January, when Brandley Kuwas initiated the scoring, followed by Robert Muhren who netted the decisive late winner during stoppage time.

While they achieved victory at Het Kasteel back in January, Rick Kruys’s side had previously faced a lengthy winless streak in Rotterdam, with their last away league success against Sparta stemming from the 2014/15 season when they triumphed 5-0.

Their travel woes were once more evident in a 3-0 defeat to NEC, marking the fact they have lost 10 of their last 11 Eredivisie away encounters since September, collecting only five points from 13 games, the second-lowest tally in the league, with only Heracles Almelo below them.

Het Andere Oranje approach this matchup after suffering consecutive defeats to Fortuna Sittard and NEC, although they have managed to claim three victories from their last six Eredivisie fixtures in total.

Across 89 prior encounters between these teams, Volendam has emerged victorious 27 times, with 18 games ending in draws, while Sparta Rotterdam has achieved victory 44 times.

Team News

Sparta’s head coach Steijn made multiple adjustments to his starting XI for the game against Ajax, with Marvin Young returning after suspension, Lushendry Martes starting on the right after returning from injury, and Vito van Crooij also rejoining the starting lineup.

Midfielder Mike Kleijn was deemed fit enough to sit on the bench against Ajax after passing a late fitness examination following the injury sustained during the match against Zwolle.

On the visitors’ side, coach Matthias Kohler Kruys will be missing Dave Kwakman for the rest of the season due to injury, while Brandley Kuwas, Benjamin Pauwels, and Henk Veerman are recovering, with their status for Saturday still uncertain.

Kwakman picked up his injury in the first half against Fortuna and was substituted by Alex Plat, while Gibson Yah and Anthony Descotte both returned to the matchday squad and made substitute appearances.

Sparta Rotterdam probable starting XI:

Drommel; Martes, Young, Martins Indi, Leon; Clement, Kitolano, Van Crooij; Mito, Van Bergen, Lauritsen

FC Volendam probable starting XI:

Oevelen; Ugwu, Amevor, Verschuren, Leliendal; Van Cruijsen, Kokcu, Plat; Ould-Chikh, Oehlers, Bacuna

The six-match winless streak remains a significant worry for Maurice Steijn and his team, who will be eager to rectify their poor form this weekend, although they’ll need to earn their victory against a determined Volendam side.

The visitors, on the other hand, will be keen to end their run of consecutive losses and will draw confidence from their cup victory at this venue in January, but it’s anticipated that Sparta Rotterdam will narrowly win the match and secure all three points on Saturday.