Preview: SBV Excelsior vs. Sparta Rotterdam - prediction, team news, lineups

With only two points between them in the league table there is little to split them at the moment, setting up what should be a closely contested fixture.

Match preview

SBV Excelsior head into this weekend on the back of consecutive games without a loss after a goalless draw against Almere was followed up by a victory against Heerenveen last weekend.

Goals from Couhaib Driouech, Nikolas Agrafiotis and Troy Parrott proved to be good enough to secure a 3-0 win, helping the team earn three points and back-to-back clean sheets.

The defensive side of the game is something that Marinus Dijkhuizen will be focusing on as his team has already conceded 10 times this season, which is the second-worst record in the top eight.

While they have been slightly stronger at the back throughout their home fixtures, SBV Excelsior are still yet to win a game at Stadion Woudestein, having drawn all three of their matches at home so far.

However, with the hosts having the opportunity to leapfrog their local rivals with a victory there is plenty of incentive for them in this particular fixture.

The visitors will be sure to make life difficult for SBV Excelsior though, especially after they ended a two-game run without a win last weekend by defeating Vitesse.

Arno Verschueren's sixth-minute goal was all that was required in the end as they ran away with a 1-0 win which helped them progress into fifth place.

Sparta Rotterdam are placing pressure on those in the top four, and building a consistent run is now going to be key if the club wants to breach that.

Jeroen Rijsdijk will want to see more goals from his team though, scoring only nine so far this season, with only one club in the top eight having found the back of the net fewer times.

Despite that, Sparta Rotterdam have looked confident on the road this season, and with two away wins already under their belt there will be no shortage of confidence heading into this one.

SBV Excelsior Eredivisie form:

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D

D

L

D

W

Sparta Rotterdam Eredivisie form:

W

D

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D

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W

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Team News

The hosts are dealing with a laundry list of injury issues at the moment with Noah Naujoks and Lennard Hartjes recovering from ankle and knee issues at the moment.

A foot problem is keeping Kik Pierie on the shelf while Jacky Donkor is suffering from a knee issue, while Parrott will be hoping he has done enough to get back into the starting lineup after scoring off the bench last weekend.

The visitors are also without several players due to fitness issues as Sergi Rosanas will not be available because of an injury he picked up a couple of weeks ago.

Mike Eerdhuijzen is also not available right now which has been the case since pre-season, while Tijs Velthuis and Bart Vriends are also still battling their way back to full match sharpness.

SBV Excelsior possible starting lineup:

Van Gassel; Horemans, Widell, Nieuwpoort, Zagre; Sandra, El Yaakoubi, Baas; Lamprou, Agrafiotis, Driouech

Sparta Rotterdam possible starting lineup:

Olij; Bakari, Vriends, Velthuis, Warmerdam; De Guzman, Kitolano, Clement, Verschueren, Saito; Lauritsen

We say: SBV Excelsior 2-2 Sparta Rotterdam

This is a derby day encounter, therefore both teams and fans should be up for it which will create a passionate atmosphere and a tense game.

Both have started the season in similar form, and with little to split them at the moment, they could end up sharing the spoils.

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