Sparta Rotterdam and city rivals Feyenoord will battle for three points in the Rotterdam derby in the Eredivisie on Sunday.
The home side come into the game on the back of a 2-0 away victory over GVVV in the KNVB Beker on Wednesday. Second-half goals from Mario Engels and Vito van Crooij helped their side secure progress.
Feyenoord saw off Cambuur in the Eredivisie with a 3-2 away victory on Thursday. Tyrell Malacia scored the winning goal in the 58th minute.
Sparta Rotterdam need maximum points to keep their survival hopes alive. De Kasteelheren currently sit in 17th place on seven points and are three points away from safety. Feyenoord are in fourth spot with 19 points garnered from nine matches so far.
Sparta Rotterdam vs Feyenoord Head-to-Head
Feyenoord have 19 wins from their last 26 matches against Sparta Rotterdam. Two previous games ended in a stalemate while the hosts were victorious on five occasions.
Their most recent meeting came in May when Feyenoord secured a 2-0 victory on home turf in the playoffs for the UEFA Europa Conference League.
Sparta Rotterdam have managed just one win in the league all season and Wednesday's victory halted a run of seven games without a win. Feyenoord are currently on a three-game unbeaten run in all competitions.
Sparta Rotterdam form guide (all competitions): W-L-D-L-L
Feyenoord form guide (all competitions): W-W-D-L-W
Sparta Rotterdam vs Feyenoord Team News
Sparta Rotterdam
There are no known injuries or suspension worries for the hosts.
Injuries: None
Suspension: None
Feyenoord
Mark Diemers is fit again, but not match-ready yet. Francesco Antonucci and Aliou Balde are also fit again but will play with the U-21 side to further assess their development after injury.
Injuries: None
Suspension: None
Unavailable: Mark Diemers, Francesco Antonucci, Aliou Balde
Sparta Rotterdam vs Feyenoord Predicted XI
Sparta Rotterdam Predicted XI (3-4-3): Maduka Okoye (GK); Giannis Masouras, Michael Heylen, Bart Vriends; Michael Pinto, Mohammed Osman, Adil Auassar, Laurent Jans; Vito van Crooij, Lennart Thy, Sven Mijnans
Feyenoord Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Justin Bijlow (GK); Tyrell Malacia, Marcos Senesi, Gernot Trauner, Marcus Pedersen; Orkun Kokcu, Jens Toornstra; Bryan Linssen, Guus Til, Alireza Jahanbakhsh; Cyril Dessers
Sparta Rotterdam vs Feyenoord Prediction
Feyenoord are distinctly superior to Sparta Rotterdam and despite it being a derby, the visitors would expect to secure maximum points.
The hosts have struggled in front of goal throughout the season and are unsurprisingly battling relegation. We are backing Feyenoord to secure maximum points with a comfortable victory and clean sheet.
Prediction: Sparta Rotterdam 0-3 Feyenoord