Sparta Rotterdam v Feyenoord: Eredivisie Prediction

At 12.15 on Sunday afternoon, all traffic in Rotterdam comes to a standstill. It’s time for Sparta Rotterdam v Feyenoord, one of the few city derbies in the Dutch Eredivisie. Sparta, who finished 10th last year, are hoping to get off to a flying start, whilst Feyenoord are hoping to make headway in the race for the league title. Oranje Palace tells you more about both teams and brings you the best Sparta v Feyenoord predictions and betting tips.

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Sparta v Feyenoord preview

In the first match of the season, it’s always difficult to gauge how clubs will perform. This is particularly true given that many players are still being targeted in the transfer market. Add to that a number of new signings, and there’s a good chance that everything hasn’t quite fallen into place yet. Nevertheless, we’d like to tell you more about both teams.

Current Form & Team News

Sparta

In Spangen, they’re hoping to finish in the top half of the table this year. Partly for this reason, they’ve invested heavily in their defence. Even though it didn’t cost a huge amount of money, the signings of Nick Verschuren and Bas Kuipers are set to give the Sparta defence a boost. Nevertheless, pre-season preparations for Rogier Meijer’s side – who has been at the helm at Sparta since the start of this season – have been mixed. Whilst they did secure a 1-0 win against SC Telstar, they failed to win any of their next four matches against SV Meppen, Zulte Waregem, Asteras Tripolis and MSV Duisburg. Will they manage to beat Feyenoord?

Feyenoord

Whilst Sparta may not look back on their pre-season as the best ever, the situation is quite different in Rotterdam-Zuid. Feyenoord kicked off their pre-season campaign with a convincing 6-0 victory over FC Dordrecht, before going on to beat Club Brugge, Charleroi and Rayo Vallecano. To top it all off, Feyenoord even beat Italian side Atalanta Bergamo 2–1. In short: so far, no one has managed to stop Feyenoord from winning. However, it remains to be seen what the squad will look like in early September, given that Givairo Read and Ayase Ueda are being courted by other clubs. Will they remain loyal to the club?

Head-to-Head

Feyenoord generally fare very well against Sparta. In fact, ‘Gio’s’ side have not lost a single one of their last eight away matches at the Kasteel. Six of those matches ended in victory for Feyenoord, whilst two ended in draws. For that reason, Feyenoord appear to be the clear favourites. Although, of course, we mustn’t forget last year’s 3–4 defeat to Sparta at De Kuip.

Predicted line-ups

Sparta (4–3–3):

Bednarek, Kuipers, Young, Verschuren, Martes, Roaldsøy, Terho, Toornstra, Thórisson, Mito, Santos

Feyenoord (4-3-3):

Ernst, Mármol, St. Juste, Watanabe, Read, Valente, Zechiël, Vanhoutte, Diarra, Ueda, Hadj-Moussa

Sparta v Feyenoord betting tips

Betting tip 1: Feyenoord to win

A look at the most recent meetings between the two sides at Sparta’s ground shows that Feyenoord have generally fared well. When you’ve gone eight matches in a row without defeat in away fixtures against Sparta, there’s no getting round the fact that you’re the clear favourites. We’re therefore backing a win for Feyenoord, a bet that will earn you odds of 1.70 at Oranje Palace.

Betting tip 2: Luciano Valente to score or provide an assist

There are high expectations for Luciano Valente this season. The midfielder, who made his debut for the Dutch national team last season, looks ready to go again. Last season, he made a big impression in both the home and away matches against Sparta, providing a total of three assists. As we expect Feyenoord to be in fine form, we believe Luciano will once again play a key role by scoring a goal or providing an assist. This will earn you odds of 2.95 at Oranje Palace.

Prediction: Sparta v Feyenoord

Final score: Sparta 1–3 Feyenoord
We believe that Feyenoord will comfortably win this match, which looks tricky on paper. The team seem to be playing well together, whilst at Sparta things aren’t quite clicking yet. That’s why we’re backing a 3-1 victory for the side dreaming of a new league title under Giovanni van Bronckhorst.