Round 32 of the 2022-23 Eredivisie season sees relegation candidates FC Volendam welcome European hopefuls Sparta Rotterdam to the Kras Stadion on Saturday evening.
Off the back of disappointing defeats in their respective last outings, both sides will be keen to get back to winning ways as soon as possible.
Match preview
Sparta Rotterdam came away empty-handed from their meeting against title-chasing PSV Eindhoven on Saturday, which ended in a 1-0 loss at the Sparta Stadion Het Kasteel.
Despite posing little threat at the attacking end of the pitch, Maurice Steijn's men looked set to secure a hard-fought point before Anwar El-Ghazi broke the deadlock with quarter of an hour left to play.
Consequently, De Kasteelheren have dropped down to sixth in the Eredivisie table, eight points behind the last automatic European spot but through to the semi-finals of the Conference League playoff phase.
Up next is the task of facing off against an opposing outfit who are looking to record a first win in the fixture since 2016, losing six of the seven encounters in that time.
Having lost just one of their nine away involvements of 2023, Saturday's visitors will back themselves to pick up a positive result on the road once again.
FC Volendam were on the receiving end of a comprehensive 4-1 defeat against RKC Waalwijk when the teams went head-to-head at the Mandemakers Stadion on Friday.
Goals from Yassin Oukili and Florian Jozefzoon left Wim Jonk's men with a mountain to climb at half time, after which second-half strikes from Mats Seuntjens and Julen Lobete either side of Francesco Antonucci's consolation sealed the deal.
With 30 points amassed from their 31 league matches so far, Het Nieuwe Oranje sit 14th in the standings, just two points clear of the bottom three.
Currently on a run of four wins from their most recent five home matches, Saturday's hosts now go in search of three crucial points to help steer further clear of relegation danger.
Team News
Sparta Rotterdam's Rick Meissen is currently ruled out with an ankle problem, and the 21-year-old is set to sit out a third consecutive game.
Shurandy Sambo missed his side's last outing through suspension, but the Dutchman is now eligible to return to the starting lineup for this weekend.
Having found the back of the net four times in his last four away appearances for the visitors, Tobias Lauritsen is definitely one to keep an eye on here.
After coming off the bench to get himself on the score sheet against RKC Waalwijk, Francesco Antonucci could be rewarded with a place in the XI.
FC Volendam possible starting lineup:
Stankovic; Murkin, Benamar, Mbuyamba, Payne; Eiting, Mirani, Twigt; Van Mieghem, Muhren, Oristanio
Sparta Rotterdam possible starting lineup:
Olij; Pinto, Eerdhuijzen, Abels, Sambo; Kitolano, Namli, Verschueren; Van Crooy, Lauritsen, Saito
We say: FC Volendam 1-1 Sparta Rotterdam
Volendam have been firing on all cylinders on home turf of late, while Sparta have been near-perfect on the road recently. We expect an open and end to end contest with the teams settling for a point apiece in the end.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
