Feyenoord Prepares for Crucial Clash Against Heerenveen

As the new year begins, Feyenoord looks to improve upon a disappointing conclusion to the previous calendar year. The Rotterdam team experienced a tough phase, largely due to numerous injuries. With the winter break now over and the Eredivisie set to resume, coach Robin van Persie is preparing to select his starting eleven for the third encounter with sc Heerenveen this season.

Heerenveen has proven to be a challenging opponent for Feyenoord this year. The teams have faced each other twice already at De Kuip, with the first match narrowly ending in a 1-0 victory for Feyenoord, courtesy of a goal from Anis Hadj Moussa, who later received a red card. Their second meeting took place in the KNVB Cup, where Feyenoord was eliminated after a dramatic 3-2 defeat, with Jakob Trenskow scoring the decisive goal in the dying moments of the game.

A notable absence for Feyenoord will be Luciano Valente, a rising star in the midfield who has quickly become a fan favorite. Unfortunately, Valente is suspended for the match against Heerenveen after receiving two yellow cards in the last game of the first half of the season.

In the attacking front, Van Persie will also be without Hadj Moussa, who is currently competing for the Africa Cup with the Algerian national team. The most likely replacement for the skilled winger is Gonçalo Borges, who has already stepped in during previous matches against FC Twente and Heerenveen in the cup, scoring a goal in the fixture against Twente with an impressive strike.

The anticipated starting lineup for Feyenoord against sc Heerenveen includes: Wellenreuther; Read, Ahmedhodzic, Watanabe, Smal; Hwang, Timber, Steijn; Borges, Ueda, Sauer.