Excelsior Rotterdam vs Sparta Rotterdam Prediction: The Castle Lords To Conquer The Kralingers Roodzwarten Shaky Territory

Excelsior Rotterdam welcomes Sparta Rotterdam to the Stadion Woudestein for the 24th round of the Eredivisie in the hopes of returning to winning ways as they struggle with consistency.

Will Sparta Rotterdam be able to defeat a team they have failed to defeat in their previous three away matches, or will this time be different?

Let's have a look at the latest Netherlands Eredivisie predictions between Excelsior Rotterdam vs Sparta Rotterdam, team news, probable lineups, match facts and up to date betting odds for you to consider!

Excelsior Rotterdam

Form: LLLDL

Starting the year on a positive note with a 1:0 victory over FC Groningen at home, they were dragged back as they went on to lose 1:0 on the road to Sparta Rotterdam but quickly bounced back with a 2:0 victory over Volendam, and it was now a matter of accumulating inconsistent results along the way.

And that escalated to a more dire situation, with the root of the problem beginning with a road loss to FC Utrecht. They now have a six-match winless streak, losing five and drawing one, and it goes without saying that the Kralingers Roodzwarten are once again enduring a difficult season in the top flight.

They recently lost a road game against FC Groningen by a score of 3:0 and were unable to salvage the situation with a consoling goal. In that game, they only made four attempts at goal and failed on all of them, so it was unfortunate that they weren't able to repeat their 1:0 victory over them from earlier in the year.

They are currently in 15th place with 20 points, level on points with 14th-place FC Volendam, and they find themselves 2 points ahead of the relegation playoffs.

Team News

Excelsior Rotterdam are beset by health concerns and will be without a slew of players ahead of this match, including Jacky Donkor, Maxime Awoudja, Kik Pierie, and Yassine Ayoub, who remain doubtful to play.

Vicente Besuijen is also out with a hamstring injury and will take no part in this match.

Probable Starting XI

Formation: 4-2-3-1

Van Gassel; Tjoe, Seymor, Nieuwpoort, Horemans; Koopmeiners, Baas; Lamprou, Naujoks, Azarkan; Agrafiotis

Sparta Rotterdam

Form: LLWDD

After suffering through three straight draws with RKC Waalwijk, NEC Nijmegen, and Fortuna Sittard, there was a glimmer of hope when the De Kasteelheren managed to turn things around with a hard-fought 2:1 victory over Go Ahead Eagles at home, and it appeared as though they were moving in the right direction.

However, their joy was fleeting as they were derailed from the track by a loss to reigning champions Ajax Amsterdam (4:0) on the road, followed by another disappointing result at home against FC Utrecht (3:0), which did not bode well with their fans who had expected a more convincing performance from them.

Nothing is more important to them than regaining all the points they have lost, which will be a turkey shoot in the upcoming three games against Vitesse and FC Emmen before facing off with Feyenoord given that they will be at an advantage due to the depth of talent within their ranks. They have only won one of their last six games played, have dropped twelve points in the process, and are currently on a two-match losing streak.

With 37 points to their name, they are in sixth place in the standings, and a three-point deficit makes it difficult for them to finish in fifth.

Team News

Sparta Rotterdam are injury-free ahead of this match but will have to do without the services of Adil Auassar, who will be serving his suspension after receiving a red card in a 1:0 loss against Utrecht.

Probable Starting XI

Formation: 4-2-3-1

Olij; Pinto, Vriends, Eerdhuijzen, Sambo; Kitolano, De Guzman; Van Crooy, Verscheren, Saito; Lauritsen

Match Facts

• Excelsior Rotterdam are on a three-game losing streak in the Eredivisie.
• Sparta Rotterdam has not won in their last three away games against Excelsior Rotterdam.
• Excelsior Rotterdam has yet to win a game in its last six Eredivisie games.
• The average number of goals scored in a match between Excelsior Rotterdam and Sparta Rotterdam is 3.6.
• When playing at home, Excelsior Rotterdam averages 1.57 goals per game, while Sparta Rotterdam averages 1.29 goals per game when playing away.

Head-To-Head

Excelsior Rotterdam has won 11 of the last 23 meetings, Sparta Rotterdam has won 6, and there have been 6 draws with a goal difference of 42-32 in favor of Excelsior Rotterdam.

Expert Betting Tips

Sparta Rotterdam has been given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get back on track by winning away from home against a team that has been inconsistent for almost half of the season, and anything less than a win will not suffice.

Given that Excelsior Rotterdam has the worst defense in the Eredivisie, ranking first with 54 goals conceded in 23 games, there's no doubt that they'll concede more than they should in this match, and vouching for them to display a solid defense that'll keep their opponent at bay appears uncertain.

Sparta Rotterdam has enough talent and firepower to hold off a less-threatening opponent whose future in the Eredivisie is beginning to dwindle as such, pick Sparta Rotterdam to win decisively away from home, which should be sufficient.

• W2 for 2.17
• Goals - Over 2.5 for 1.95
• Corners - Over 10 for 1.75