Feyenoord Prepares for Crucial Match Against Heerenveen

With the arrival of the new year, Feyenoord is hopeful for a fresh start. The previous calendar year concluded on a disappointing note for Robin van Persie and his squad, primarily due to a series of injuries that plunged the Rotterdam side into a slump. Now that the winter break has ended and the Eredivisie is set to resume, Van Persie must finalize his starting lineup for the third encounter against sc Heerenveen this season. Who will take the field?

Feyenoord has found sc Heerenveen to be a challenging opponent this season. The teams have faced each other twice already, both matches taking place at De Kuip. The first match was narrowly won by Feyenoord with a score of 1-0, courtesy of a goal from Anis Hadj Moussa, who was later sent off. In the KNVB Cup, however, the outcome was different, with Heerenveen emerging victorious. A late goal from Jakob Trenskow in the 90th minute sealed a 3-2 win for Heerenveen, resulting in Feyenoord’s elimination.

One of the standout players for Feyenoord prior to the winter break was Luciano Valente, the 22-year-old midfielder who quickly became a fan favorite at De Kuip. Unfortunately for the upcoming match against Heerenveen, Valente will be unavailable due to suspension after receiving two yellow cards in the previous match of the first half of the season.

In the forward line, Van Persie will need to make do without Hadj Moussa, who is currently participating in the Africa Cup with Algeria. A suitable replacement for the dynamic winger appears to be Gonçalo Borges, who has already stepped in for Moussa in matches against FC Twente and Heerenveen in the cup, scoring a goal against Twente with an impressive shot.

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