Heerenveen v Sparta Rotterdam: play-off push meets mid-table climb | OneFootball

Heerenveen host Sparta Rotterdam in the Eredivisie at the Abe Lenstra Stadion on Saturday, 28 February 2026, with the visitors targeting the European play-off spots and the hosts chasing momentum towards them.

Heerenveen won 3-0 in the reverse fixture, yet the recent head-to-head is balanced: six wins each and four draws across 16 meetings.

Robin Veldman's side beat PEC Zwolle 4-2 and Go Ahead Eagles 3-1 this month, but lost at FC Twente and PSV. Maurice Steijn's team have one defeat in five after wins at Utrecht and against Groningen, plus draws with Fortuna Sittard and NEC Nijmegen.

Heerenveen are without defender Nikolai Hopland and midfielder Levi Smans. Sparta Rotterdam miss Vito van Crooy, Shunsuke Mito and defender Giannino Vianello.

Across the season, Heerenveen have scored 40 league goals with 51% possession and 80.29% passing accuracy, but only two clean sheets and just one headed goal. Sparta Rotterdam have 31 goals and nine clean sheets, win plenty of aerial duels, and could lean on 196cm forward Tobias Lauritsen, who has 10 league goals. For the hosts, Jacob Trenskow has eight and Dylan Vente six, while Joris Overeem leads their assists with five.

Sparta Rotterdam sit seventh on 37 points and a win would take them to 40, tightening their grip on the qualification play-offs and closing on the teams above. Heerenveen are 10th with 31 and victory would lift them to 34 points, keeping a push towards the play-off places alive.