The hosts overcame Ultrecht on penalties in the semi-final playoff tie, while Twente thrashed Heerenveen 6-1 in the two-legged last four clash.
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Sparta Rotterdam will host FC Twente in the first leg of their Eredivisie European playoff final at Sparta Stadion on Thursday. The winner of the two legged contest will qualify for the next seasonโs Europa Conference League, while the loser will have to settle without European football in 2023-24. The hosts overcame Ultrecht on penalties in the semi-final playoff tie, while Twente thrashed Heerenveen 6-1 in the two-legged last four clash.
๐ธ ๐ฆ๐ฒ๐น๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ธ๐ ๐๐ผ๐ฒ ๐ป๐ฎ๐ฎ๐ฟ ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐-๐ผ๐ณ๐ณ ๐ฑ๐๐ฒ๐น ๐บ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฆ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐ฎ ๐ฅ๐ผ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐บ
โ FC Twente (@fctwente) June 7, 2023
Sparta Rotterdam earned a spot in the European playoffs courtesy of securing a sixth-place finish in the Dutch top flight standings, having collected 59 points from 34 games. And then, the Castle Lords defeated Ultrecht 2-1 in the first leg of their semi-final tie at Stadion Galgenwaard, but Nick Viergeverโs lone goal ten minutes from time in the second leg helped Utreg to force the game into extra time and penalties, where Sparta prevailed 5-4 in the tie breaker. Not since 1985-86 UEFA Cup have the Red-White Gladiators competed in the European competition, but victory on Thursday would move Maurice Steijnโs side one step closer to qualification for the Conference League.
Twente, on the other hand, finished fifth in the Eredivisie standings, five points above Sparta. The Tukkers then secured a comprehensive 6-1 aggregate win over Heerenveen in the European semi-final tie, including a dominant 4-0 second-leg victory on home turf courtesy of goals from Michel Vlap, Robin Propper, Joshua Brenet and Virgil Misidjan. The result extended their winning run to six games with an aggregate scoreline of 21-2. Meanwhile, the last team to prevent the Reds from winning were Sparta back in April as a 90th-minute equaliser from Shurandy Sambo helped the Castle Lords snatch a point at De Grolsch Veste. Meanwhile, Twente have won each of their last three away-games, scoring ten goals and keeping two clean sheets in the process.
Probable Lineups
Sparta Rotterdam probable starting lineup: Olij, Sambo, Vriends, Auassar, Pinto, Verschueren, Namli, Kitolano, Van Crooij, Engels, Saito
FC Twente probable starting lineup: Unnerstall, Brenet, Pleguezuelo, Propper, Smal, Sadilek, Zerrouki, Cerny, Vlap, Misidjan, Ugalde
Sparta Rotterdam
| Opponents | Score |
| Ultrecht | 1-1 (D) |
| Ultrecht | 1-2 (W) |
| Groningen | 0-5 (W) |
| Cambuur | 4-1 (W) |
| FC Volendam | 2-1 (L) |
FC Twente
| Opponents | Score |
| Heerenveen | 4-0 (W) |
| Twente | 1-2 (W) |
| Ajax | 3-1 (W) |
| Waalwijk | 0-5 (W) |
| Nijmegen | 4-0 (W) |
| Last 5 match-results | Score |
| Twente draw Sparta Rotterdam | 3-3 |
| Twente beat Sparta Rotterdam | 2-1 |
| Sparta Rotterdam draw Twente | 1-1 |
| Twente beat Sparta Rotterdam | 2-0 |
| Twente beat Sparta Rotterdam | 0-1 |
The first leg of the Eredivisie playoff final between Sparta Rotterdam and FC Twente will take place at Sparta Stadion on Thursday at 11:30 pm IST.
| Sparta Rotterdam vs FC Twente | Key Details |
| Date | June 8 |
| Venue | Sparta Stadion |
| Kickoff time in Netherlands | 8:00 pm |
| Kickoff time in India | 11:30 pm |
Football fans in Netherlands can catch the live action via ESPN network.
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