Preview: Heerenveen vs. Feyenoord - prediction, team news, lineups

Kees van Wonderen's side are in eighth position in the standings, while De club aan da Maas are two points clear of their nearest title challengers, AZ Alkmaar, at the summit of the Eredivisie standings.

Match preview

Heerenveen come into this round of matches closer to the relegation zone than the European qualification positions after losing four of their last five league matches.

De Superfriezen have scored the fewest number of goals out of the sides in the top half of the standings, which has seen their aspirations of a first appearance in a UEFA-organised competition since the 2012-13 Europa League campaign all but fade away.

Despite progressing to the quarter-finals of the KNVB Cup on Tuesday after a 2-1 victory at NAC Breda courtesy of a brace from on-loan Bologna striker Sydney van Hooijdonk, the northern Dutch-based outfit have struggled across their recent Eredivisie endeavours.

Heerenveen have only been victorious once in their previous six league matches, including a hat-trick of defeats in that period.

On course to lift their first Eredivisie title since the 2016-17 campaign, Feyenoord have been in scintillating form so far this season.

Arne Slot's side have scored the third-highest number of goals in the division, with only defending champions Ajax and fellow Dutch footballing powerhouse PSV Eindhoven finding the back of the net on more occasions.

De club aan da Maas have also suffered the fewest defeats in the division, with their 4-3 loss to the latter on September 18, the only blemish in their 2022-23 Eredivisie campaign.

Slot's side salvaged a share of the spoils with that same opponent last weekend courtesy of Alireza Jahanbakhsh's brilliance in the concluding stages of the match.

Staring defeat to one of their title challengers in the face, the Iranian international rewrote De club aan da Maas history by becoming the first player since Diego Biseswar in September 2008 to score a brace in an Eredivisie match after coming on as a substitute.

However, Feyenoord were not finished with the club's record books, as they progressed to the quarter-final stages of the cup following on from registering a staggering 50 attempts on Mattijs Branderhorst's goal, landing 27 on target in their penalty-shootout win over NEC Nijmegen on Wednesday.

Add that breathtaking stat to the 35 shots registered against PSV earlier this month, a high-scoring affair could be on the cards at the Abe Lenstra Stadion on Sunday evening.

The visitors will be pleased to see Slot still in the dugout for this match too, with the 44-year-old understood to have rejected an approach from Leeds United this week.

Heerenveen Eredivisie form:

D

L

W

L

L

L

Heerenveen form (all competitions):

L

W

L

L

L

W

Feyenoord Eredivisie form:

D

W

D

W

D

D

Feyenoord form (all competitions):

W

D

W

D

D

W

Team News

After witnessing his side progress to the last eight of the cup, Heerenveen manager Kees van Wonderen should recall several players to De Superfriezen 11 for the visit of the league leaders on Sunday.

On the back of their night off against NAC Breda, Pelle van Amersfoort, Anas Tahiri and Antoine Colassin are all expected to be named on the starting team sheet.

Following his attacking prowess against Ruud van Nistelrooy's side, Feyenoord striker Alireza Jahanbakhsh could be promoted from the substitutes' bench by Slot for the trip to the Abe Lenstra Stadion.

With the aforementioned Jahanbakhsh looking good for a starting berth, Igor Paixao could be the unlucky candidate demoted down to a seat in the dugout.

There could also be further alterations in the final third, with Oussama Idrissi and Danilo pushing for recalls.

Heerenveen possible starting lineup:

Mous; Kohlert, Bochniewicz, Bruma, Van Ewijk; Colassin, Tahiri, Haye, Olsson; Van Hooijdonk, Van Amersfoort

Feyenoord possible starting lineup:

Wellenreuther; Pedersen, Geertruida, Hancko, Lopez; Wieffer, Kokcu; Jahanbakhsh, Timber, Idrissi; Danilo

We say: Heerenveen 1-3 Feyenoord

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