The first leg in Rotterdam ended in a 1-1 draw after Vito van Crooij's 47th-minute penalty kick was canceled out by Twente midfielder Ramiz Zerrouki two minutes into the injury time.
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FC Twente will host Sparta Rotterdam in the second leg of their Eredivisie European playoff tie at De Grolsch Veste on Sunday. The tie is nicely poised as the first leg ended in a 1-1 draw in the mid-week at Sparta Stadion. Sparta took the lead through Vito van Crooij’s 47th-minute penalty kick and just when it looked like they might secure the victory, Ramiz Zerrouki scored a 92nd-minute equaliser for Twente, meaning the winner of the second leg will qualify for next season’s Europa Conference League. Meanwhile, the Tukkers dominated the proceedings in Rotterdam, enjoying the lion’s share of the ball while attempting almost 20 shots, but Ron Jans’s men failed to make the most of their dominance, as they managed only three efforts on target.
Nog één keer, 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗱𝗮𝘆! ⚔️
🔴 FC Twente – Sparta#twespa #eredivisie #matchday pic.twitter.com/rLNqyblihp
— FC Twente (@fctwente) June 10, 2023
Twente head into the second leg on the back of an eight-game unbeaten streak, having ended their regular season with four straight wins before thrashing Heerenveen 6-1 in the two-legged semi-final playoff tie. The Pride of the East have lost only one of their last 14 outings, picking up nine wins while scoring at least three goals on nine occasions. Moreover, the Reds have been solid at home this season, losing only one of their 22 games across all competitions at Die Grolsch Veste, so they will be confident of getting the job done on Sunday.
Sparta Rotterdam, on the other hand, didn’t have the smoothest of paths to the finals, requiring a penalty shootout to overcome Ultrecht in the two-legged European playoff semi-finals. As a result, the Castle Lords enter the clash on a run of three wins, two draws and three losses. Meanwhile, the Red-White Gladiators have lost only one of their last seven away-games, recording five wins, while scoring at least two goals on five occasions. In fact, Sparta can take confidence from the fact that, despite recording just 36% ball possession against Twente in the first leg, restricted the Tukkers to just three shots on goal and managed to hold on to the slender lead till the second minute of injury time.
FC Twente probable starting lineup: Unnerstall, Brenet, Pleguezuelo, Propper, Smal, Zerrouki, Sadilek, Cerny, Vlap, Misidjan, Ugalde
Sparta Rotterdam probable starting lineup: Olij, Sambo, Vriends, Eerdhuijzen, Meijers, Kitolano, Verschueren, Namli, Van Crooij, Lauritsen, Saito
FC Twente
| Opponents | Score |
| Sparta Rotterdam | 1-1 (D) |
| Heerenveen | 4-0 (W) |
| Heerenveen | 1-2 (W) |
| Ajax | 3-1 (W) |
| Waalwijk | 0-5 (W) |
Sparta Rotterdam
| Opponents | Score |
| Twente | 1-1 (D) |
| Utrecht | 1-1 (D) |
| Utrecht | 1-2 (W) |
| Groningen | 0-5 (W) |
| Cambuur | 4-1 (W) |
| Last 5 match-results | Score |
| Sparta Rotterdam draw Twente | 1-1 |
| Twente draw Sparta Rotterdam | 3-3 |
| Twente beat Sparta Rotterdam | 2-1 |
| Sparta Rotterdam draw Twente | 1-1 |
| Twente beat Sparta Rotterdam | 2-0 |
The second leg of the Eredivisie European playoff final between FC Twente and Sparta Rotterdam will take place at De Grolsch Veste on Sunday at 6:00 pm IST.
| Twente vs Sparta Rotterdam | Key Details |
| Date | June 11 |
| Venue | De Grolsch Veste |
| Kickoff time in Netherlands | 2:30 pm |
| Kickoff time in India | 6:00 pm |
Football fans in Netherlands can catch the live action via ESPN network.
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