Preview: Sparta Rotterdam vs. Fortuna Sittard - prediction, team news, lineups

On the other hand, the away side make the journey to Sparta Stadion Het Kasteel aiming to stretch their unbeaten record in the Eredivisie to seven matches.

Match preview

Off the back of three straight wins, Sparta Rotterdam fell to a 3-1 defeat against FC Utrecht in Sunday's meeting between the sides at the Stadion Galgenwaard.

Maurice Steijn's men were left with a mountain to climb after conceding strikes from Daishawn Redan, Anastasios Douvikas and Sean Klaiber after which Joshua Kitolano pulled one back in the dying embers of the clash.

Nonetheless, De Kasteelheren remain sixth in the Eredivisie table, although a couple of teams in and around are beginning to bear down on them.

Coming up next is the task of facing off against an opposing outfit with little to choose as the last seven encounters have yielded two wins apiece for either side and three stalemates.

Currently on a hot streak of four successive victories on home turf, Saturday's hosts will head into this weekend's clash with the wind in their sails.

Fortuna Sittard had to make do with a point for the second league game running following a 1-1 stalemate against Feyenoord at De Kuip on Saturday.

Julio Velazquez's men took a shock lead in the ninth minute through Inigo Cordoba before Javairo Dilrosun restored parity in the early knockings of the second half.

The Fortunezen have dropped down to 11th place in the league table as a result, but they are now just two points adrift of a place in the top half.

With just one victory in their last seven games on the road across all competitions since May, Saturday's visitors set out to turn their fortunes around on enemy territory.

Sparta Rotterdam Eredivisie form:

L

W

D

W

W

L

Fortuna Sittard Eredivisie form:

D

W

W

W

D

D

Team News

Tim Coremans remains unavailable for Sparta Rotterdam as the goalkeeper continues to battle with a shoulder problem which has seen him fail to feature since July.

Younes Namli has missed each of the last three games due to a knee injury and the 28-year-old is also out of contention for the home side.

Fortuna's Deroy Duarte is yet to fully recuperate from a torn muscle he suffered earlier this month in his side's 1-1 stalemate against FC Volendam.

Dimitrios Siovas is drawing increasingly closer to returning to action, but Saturday's game is expected to come too soon for the Greece international.

Sparta Rotterdam possible starting lineup:

Olij; Micha, Auassar, Vriends, Abels; Kitolano, Verschueren, Van Mullem; Mijnans, Lauritsen, Van Crooy

Fortuna Sittard possible starting lineup:

Pandur; Cox, Guth, Navarro, Pinto; Erdogan, Seuntjens, Ozyakup; Cordoba, Yilmaz, Embalo

We say: Sparta Rotterdam 1-0 Fortuna Sittard

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