Our prediction for this Netherlands Eredivisie match:
Utrecht
Match Time & Date:
15/08/2021
14:30
Prediction: 2-0
Sparta Rotterdam
Utrecht play host to Sparta Rotterdam at their Galgenwaard in the opening match of the new Eredivisie campaign. Utrecht chiefs did well to keep hold of top scorer Sander van de Streek, who is likely to prove a handful for the opposition defenders. New signing Anastasios Douvikas, who scored 11 goals for Volos last term, is pushing for a star. Sparta, on the other hand, did well to beat Excelsior 3-0 in their last warm-up game.
The Rotterdamers, though, are not regarded as good travelers, which is the main reason why we are tempted to put our money on the hosts. Summer signing Lauren Jans (right-back) is widely expected to make his official debut with Sparta against Utrecht. In the previous meeting between the two teams at Galgenwaard Utrecht defeated Sparta Rotterdam thanks to Othman Boussaid’s late goal.
Highlighted Player (Willem Janssen):
After starting his senior career at VVV-Venlo, Willem Janssen joined fellow Dutch club Roda JC in 2007. The 186-cm-tall centre-back scored 22 goals in 129 appearances for the Black and Yellows in the Eredivisie, and in 2011 he moved to Twente.
After ending his loan spell with Utrecht in 2014, he signed a permanent deal with the Stadion Galgenwaard outfit, and he has been playing for the club ever since. He scored his first league goal for Utrecht in a 1-1 draw with Zwolle on September 1, 2013. Willem Janseen was born in Nijmegen, Netherlands on July 4, 1986, but he has yet to earn a call-up for the national team. Janssen, though, has two caps with the Netherlands U21 team.
His main position is centre-back, but he is used as both defensive midfielder and central midfielder as well. His preferred foot is right. In the 2015/16 season he helped Utrecht make it to the Dutch Cup final, but Feyenoord proved to be a big catch for them in the title game.
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.
