Feyenoord will begin their title defense as they host Fortuna Sittard in the opening game of the Eredivisie. Arne Slot will be hoping for an ideal start to their 2023–24 league season. The guests to De Kuip only finished in 13th place the previous season.
Preview (Feyenoord vs Fortuna Sittard)
Earlier this year, it looked like Slot would be leaving Feyenoord after leading them to a tremendously remarkable Dutch title and stunning teams like Ajax and PSV Eindhoven. Instead, he decided to prolong his contract and work to usher in a new era in his native country. In doing so, he kept their competitors at bay. It will be a three-horse race for the prize. As a result of the departure of important players like Orkun Kokcu and Danilo for greener pastures, Slot has reacted by bringing in a diverse group of talent, including the likes of Ramiz Zerrouki, Calvin Stengs, and Ayase Ueda for more than €22 million.
Feyenoord is deserving of their reputation as favorites. PSV demonstrated in the subsequent Champions League qualifying match against Sturm Graz that they are already operating at a high level, which puts more pressure on Feyenoord to get off to a good start on Sunday. In terms of Fortuna Sittard, they dropped down to the middle of the table last season after losing nine of their final 13 games—a far cry from their earlier-in-the-year record.
They finished eight points, or comfortably, above the relegation zone. Danny Buijs will try to get the team back into the top 10, at the very least. After a miserable stint at Reims in France, former Netherlands Under-21 international Kaj Sierhuis will be aiming to restart his career, while Mitchell Dijks could prove to be a wise choice at left-back. Fortuna’s triumphs over Millwall and VVV Venlo at the conclusion of the preseason. They only suffered a 4-2 home defeat in the two clubs’ previous meeting in February.
Team News
Lutsharel Geertruida will play in defense for Feyenoord after a possible transfer to RB Leipzig reportedly fell through. Few changes are anticipated from the lineup that faced PSV. Zerrouki and Stengs will start for Feyenoord. Ueda will likely start on the bench of subs after joining his new team just over a week ago.
Fortuna has made a lot of additions this summer. It is unclear how many will be active at the start of the season. In place of Sierhuis, former Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Paul Gladon might receive the start, and Loreintz Rosier might be benched temporarily in favor of Oguzhan Ozyakup and Deroy Duarte. Fortuna enters this match with nothing to lose and the added benefit of completing what is perhaps the toughest game of the year.
Feyenoord 3 – 0 Fortuna Sittard
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