Can Sparta throw a spanner in the works against city rivals Feyenoord?
Last weekend saw Feyenoord maintain their lead at the top of the Eredivisie table by claiming a vital victory over current champions PSV Eindhoven. Their latest win means that they have now opened up an 11 point gap over the third placed side and a top two finish, at the very least, appears to be secured.
Second placed Ajax are still close enough to catch up to Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side, however. They are currently just five points behind Feyenoord, but it would require an incredible drop in form from the league leaders in the final few months of the season.
Sparta Rotterdam will be hoping to kickstart Feyenoord’s decline on Sunday. The two clubs share a tense rivalry due to the fact that they are located in the same city. While Feyenoord, who have bigger rivals to worry about, take the occasion less seriously, the local derby is one of the biggest games of the year for Sparta fans and there is undoubtedly no other team that they would rather beat more this season.
The bad blood between the two sides dates back to the 1950s, when Tinus Bosselaar, one of the greatest players in Sparta’s history, departed the club for Feyenoord. Despite returning two seasons later, the relationship between the two sides still feels the consequences some 60 years on. Although, damaging Feyenoord’s chances of claiming their first title in 18 years would undoubtedly leave Sparta’s fanbase feeling that some justice has been served.
However, given Feyenoord’s form this season, the odds on that occurring are extremely slim. The high-flying club are currently enjoying a run of 10 consecutive victories and haven’t tasted defeat since the narrow 1-0 loss to Go Ahead Eagles on November 6th. That game remains their only defeat in the 2016/17 campaign and there have been few other times that they have looked unlikely to take something from a match.
Although, Van Bronckhorst must ensure that complacency doesn’t become an issue. With an away game at Ajax quickly approaching, Feyenoord will know just how important is it to maintain their five point gap until that game has passed, at the very least.
While Feyenoord are storming their way to the title, Sparta, on the other hand, are battling for survival at the opposite end of the table. A win against NEC Nijmegen last time out saw them climb out of the relegation zone, but with just three points separating them from 16th and 17th placed Go Ahead Eagles and Excelsior, letting their good form slip this weekend could be costly.
Despite the superiority of their opponents, the Sparta camp will be in a positive mood going into Sunday’s game. Results have drastically improved in recent weeks, with the club claiming four points from their last two matches - more than they had made up in their previous 10 games.
However, positivity alone won’t be enough to keep a rampant Feyenoord side from extending their run of victories to 11 games. It will take something special for Sparta to overcome their rivals, but sometimes the intensity of a derby game can produce the moment of magic that Sparta desperately need.
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