Our prediction for this Netherlands Eredivisie match:
Heerenveen
Match Time & Date:
16/05/2021
14:30
Prediction: 1-2
Sparta Rotterdam
Heerenveen will be aiming to bounce back from a 3-1 loss to Emmen when they host Sparta Rotterdam at their Abe Lenstra Stadion on Matchday 34. De Superfriezen missed out on a place in the Europa Conference League playoffs, but their pride will be at stake on Sunday afternoon. Former Ajax midfielder Lasse Schone and Syb Van Ottele are banned for the hosts, while Sweden international Benjamin Nygren is pushing for a start.
Sparta, on the other hand, are eager to secure a top-eight finish. The Rotterdammers have been in a fine form in the season finale, and seeing that they want this win more than the hosts, we are tempted to put our money on Henk Fraser’s troops. Experienced goalkeeper Tim Coremans remains on the sidelines through injury, but he should be the only absentee in the visiting team.
Highlighted Player (Erwin Mulder):
Erwin Mulder is an experienced Dutch footballer who plays for Heerenveen as a goalkeeper. Mulder spent his youth career at R.K.P.S.C, Vitesse Arnhem, and Feyenoord, and he continued playing for the Rotterdam club at senior level.
After making 120 appearances in the Eredivisie with Feyenoord, the 193-cm-tall shot-stopper signed for Heerenveen as a free agent in the summer of 2015. It has to be noted, though, that Erwin Mulder was loaned to Excelsior during his spell with Feyenoord. His next stop was Swansea City where he made 29 league appearances before returning to Heerenveen in 2020.
Erwin Mulder was born in Pannerden on March 3, 1989, and he has three caps with the Netherlands U20 team. He has yet to earn a call-up with the Oranje senior team. The Heerenveen goalkeeper was named in the Netherlands Euro 2012 provisional squad, but after the training with the national team, he failed to make the cut.
Highlighted Team (Sparta Rotterdam):
Founded back on April 1, 1888, Sparta Rotterdam is considered one of the oldest clubs in the Netherlands. De Kasteelheren (the Castle Lords) welcome their opponents at Het Kasteel, and they have a great rivalry with Feyenoord. Yet another Rotterdam club Excelsior are considered Sparta’s fierce rivals as well.
Sparta Rotterdam wear white shirts with red strips when playing on home soil, while sky blue is the dominant colour of their away kit. De Kasteelheren have won six Eredivisie trophies. Sparta were the dominant force in the Dutch football in the 1910s, with the team winning their last league title in the 1958/59 season.
De Kasteelheren have won three Dutch Cup trophies as well (1957/58, 1961/62, 1965/66). In the 1985/86 season Sparta last participated in the UEFA Cup, with the team beating Hamburger SC in round 1, while suffering elimination to Borussia Monchengladbach in the second round. Sparta’s stadium Het Kasteel can hold up to 11,926 spectators.
