Sittard vs Feyenoord – News and Probable Lineups

Fortuna Sittard’s slim hopes of making it to the European play-offs might come to an end this Sunday as they face second-placed Feyenoord at Fortuna Sittard Stadion in the 32nd round.

With a gap of 10 places in the Eredivisie table, the visiting fans will take note of their team’s impressive seven-year unbeaten streak in this matchup, which they look to extend while closing in on the runners-up position in the league.

Match overview

After achieving a victory against FC Volendam in gameweek 27, Fortuna found themselves firmly in the running for a spot in the European play-offs at the conclusion of the regular season.

At that time, sitting in eleventh place, Danny Buijs’s squad had accumulated 35 points, just three behind FC Utrecht in eighth place, with seven matches left to play.

Unfortunately, results following that 2-1 win against Volendam in mid-March have not favored FSC, as they have lost three of their subsequent four encounters, managing only a draw against second-bottom NAC Breda.

Currently sitting six points behind eighth-placed Utrecht with three fixtures remaining, Sittard needs to claim all nine points from available matches while relying on Utrecht to falter to have any shot at finishing in a play-off position.

Despite still having a mathematical chance of leapfrogging the side in eighth, the outlook seems somewhat unrealistic given the involvement of Groningen, Sparta Rotterdam, and Go Ahead Eagles.

Feyenoord, now in second position, is assured of European football for the 2026-27 season; however, Robin van Persie’s side must still secure a Champions League spot, as the fight for second place is still ongoing.

Entering the 32nd round with 58 points, they are one point ahead of NEC and two ahead of Ajax and FC Twente, each sitting on 54 points.

Finishing below champions PSV Eindhoven ensures direct qualification for the Champions League; a third-place finish would take them to the third qualifying round of Europe’s foremost club competition; dropping to fourth places them in the Europa League second qualifying round; and landing in fifth would yield only a spot in the European play-off.

Consequently, the stakes remain high for the Stadium Club as the season approaches its climax, despite having lost the title race well before PSV’s crowning.

With rival teams also amassing points—NEC tallying nine points over their last five matches, while Ajax and Twente each have 10—Van Persie’s men must not rest on any leads as the season winds down.

They are entering Sunday with the confidence of not having lost to Fortuna in this fixture since a 4-2 loss in October 2019, and the Stadium Club will seek to extend their impressive 13-match unbeaten streak against FSC, which includes 10 wins.

Team News

Ivo Pinto will miss out due to suspension after receiving a straight red card in the previous match against Heerenveen, while Alen Halilovic, Edouard Michut, Justin Lonwijk, Luka Tunjic, Daley Sinkgraven, Ramazan Bayram, and Mattijs Branderhorst are all unavailable.

Six of Kaj Sierhuis’s 10 goals have been netted at Fortuna Sittard Stadion, and the forward will aim to add to this as FSC looks to break a three-game winless streak in front of their supporters.

Although Paul Gladon has scored five fewer goals than the team’s leading scorer, he ranks third behind Sierhuis and Mohamed Ihattaren, who has managed six goals.

Feyenoord is dealing with a lengthy injury list, as Hwang In-beom, Gijs Smal, Anel Ahmedhodzic, Shaqueel van Persie, Sem Steijn, Malcolm Jeng, Leo Sauer, Bart Nieuwkoop, and Thomas Beelen are anticipated to miss the match on Sunday.

Ayase Ueda is in outstanding form, having scored a brace last weekend to bring his tally to 25 Eredivisie goals, significantly more than Anis Hadj Moussa, who comes next on the list with 17, highlighting the importance of Ueda to the Rotterdam side.

The goals from Ueda account for 38.5% of the Stadium Club’s total 65 goals, a ratio that surpasses every other Eredivisie team, emphasizing his critical role, with his seven match-winning goals being the highest in the league.

Fortuna Sittard probable starting XI:

Koopmans, Kasanwirjo, Adewoye, Hubner, Dahlhaus; Brittijn, Oukili; Ihattaren, Duijvestijn, Limnios; Ornamental house

Feyenoord probable starting XI:

Wellenreuther; Deijl, Watanabe, Kraaijeveld, Bos; Targhalline, Valente; Moussa, Moder, Sterling; Ueda

While Fortuna Sittard may put up a fight on home turf, Feyenoord’s superior quality and increased urgency in their quest for second place are likely to dominate the match over the full 90 minutes.

Considering the visitors’ solid history in this fixture and Ueda’s current scoring prowess, a straightforward Feyenoord victory appears to be the most probable outcome.