Sparta Rotterdam welcome FC Twente to the Sparta Stadion for the first leg of their Eredivisie European playoff final on Thursday evening.
The victors of this two-legged contest will qualify for next season's Europa Conference League, while the losers will have to settle without European football in 2023-24.
Match preview
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After securing a sixth-placed finish in the Eredivisie table – their highest top-flight finish for 38 years – Sparta Rotterdam edged past Utrecht via a penalty-shootout triumph in their playoff semi-final following a 2-2 draw over two legs.
A 2-1 first-leg win for De Kasteelheren was followed by a slender 1-0 home defeat in the reverse fixture last Sunday, but they managed to prevail 5-4 in a nerve-wracking shootout, with goalkeeper Nick Olij saving the decisive spot kick.
Not since the 1985-86 UEFA Cup have Sparta competed in European competition, but victory on Thursday would move Maurice Steijn's side one step closer to qualification for the Europa Conference League.
Success in the first leg could prove challenging, though, as they have only won two of their last 10 meetings with Twente, while they have failed to win each of their last three on home soil.
In addition, Twente – who finished fifth and five points above Sparta Rotterdam in the regular Eredivisie season – head into Thursday's clash in fine form having won each of their last six matches by an aggregate score of 21-2.
The Tukkers comfortably beat Heerenveen 6-1 on aggregate in the playoff semi-finals, including Sunday's 4-0 second-leg victory on home soil courtesy of strikes from Michel Vlap, Robin Propper, Joshua Brenet and Virgil Misidjan.
However, the last team to prevent Ron Jan's men from winning were Sparta Rotterdam, as a 90th-minute equaliser from Shurandy Sambo snatched a point in a thrilling 3-3 draw at De Grolsch Veste in April.
Twente have not competed in European competition since the qualification rounds of the 2014-15 Europa League, while their last group-stage campaign was two seasons earlier in the same competition.
Team News
Sparta centre-back Mike Eerdhuijzen is an injury doubt after being forced off midway through the second half on Sunday, so 36-year-old Adil Auassar could be brought in to start alongside Bart Vriends in central defence.
Striker Tobias Lauritsen will also need to be assessed after coming off late in the game last weekend, so Mario Engels may be called upon to start in the centre of a front three in between wingers Vito van Crooij and Koki Saito, the latter of whom penned a new one-year contract extension on Monday.
Jonathan de Guzman will be pushing to start in centre-midfield ahead of either Joshua Kitolano or Younes Namli, while key playmaker Arno Verschueren is expected to retain his place in the first XI.
As for Twente, defender Max Bruns is expected to remain sidelined having missed the last eight matches with an ankle injury.
Jans is unlikely to make too many changes, if any, to his starting lineup, with an attacking trio of Vaclav Cerny, Michel Vlap and Virgil Misidjan set to provide support for central striker Manfred Ugalde, although the latter faces competition from Ricky van Wolfswinkel to retain his spot in the first XI.
Sparta Rotterdam possible starting lineup:
Olij; Sambo, Vriends, Auassar, Pinto; Verschueren, Namli, Kitolano; Van Crooij, Engels, Saito
FC Twente possible starting lineup:
Unnerstall; Brenet, Pleguezuelo, Propper, Smal; Sadilek, Zerrouki; Cerny, Vlap, Misidjan; Ugalde
We say: Sparta Rotterdam 1-1 FC Twente
The two teams could not be separated in their two previous meetings earlier this season, and another closely-fought contest could be played out in Thursday's first leg.
Twente boast a stronger run of form and have won each of their last three away from home, but we believe that Sparta Rotterdam will do enough to keep themselves in the tie ahead of Sunday's reverse fixture.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Oliver Thomas
