Sparta Rotterdam vs Go Ahead Eagles Predictions

Eerste Divisie leaders Twente appear to have batted both of these sides out of the title race following their tenth straight victory against FC Eindhoven on Friday, but this Sunday’s clash at Het Kasteel should still be an extremely entertaining contest. After five matches without a win, Sparta Rotterdam finally eased their woes with a stylish 1-4 success at Dordrecht last week, and they’ll be seeking to bolster their fine home record here against Go Ahead Eagles to overtake the Deventer outfit in the table.

Sparta’s rotten start to 2019 got significantly worse when they last turned out at Het Kasteel a fortnight ago, as Twente put paid to their unbeaten home record with a ruthless 0-3 triumph.

Credit has to go to Henk Fraser’s side then for their response at Dordrecht on match day 25, as a brace from Mohammed Rayhi spearheaded an easy 1-4 win over Schappenkoppen to secure a much needed three points.

The result keeps Sparta in 4^th place heading into this weekend’s encounter against 3^rd placed Go Ahead Eagles, and the hosts can leapfrog their rivals in the table this Sunday with a win.

And prior to that aforementioned loss against Twente, winning is something Sparta have done consistently in Rotterdam this season.

The former six time Dutch champions have been victorious in nine of their 12 outings at home, and that’s the main reason why they are a shade off odds-on to get the better of Eagles in this fixture.

Go Ahead’s form has been mixed of late with two wins, two draws and two defeats posted from their last six league games, and that’s why they are now 12 points behind Twente having been in front of the Enschede outfit not long before the Christmas break.

Double salvo’s from Jeroen Veldmate and Richard van der Venne sealed a 2-4 success for John Stegeman’s side when last on the road at Jong Utrecht a fortnight ago, but they blew a two goal advantage at home to NEC on match day 25 despite Veldmate and van der Venne bagging three further goals between them.

The 4-4 draw means that Eagles have now conceded 12 in their last six league starts, and that leaves them extremely vulnerable here against a Sparta side who have netted 30 goals from a dozen games at home.

The visitors have lost four of their 12 away fixtures this season including 5-1 and 3-1 defeats to Jong PSV and Roda JC in recent times, so it’s not hard to oppose them here against Sparta who boast the best home record in the league by some distance.

Sparta’s defeat at Het Kasteel a fortnight ago is an obvious concern, but the way they hit back at Dordrecht last week suggests that there won’t be any mental scars when Go Ahead rock up in Rotterdam.

It should be a fairly close game following the intriguing 2-2 draw played out between the teams in the reverse fixture, but we can see Sparta asserting late on to land a 3-1 win.