Robin van Persie – No crisis at Feyenoord ahead of Celtic clash

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The Celtic Star

·25 November 2025

Robin van Persie – No crisis at Feyenoord ahead of Celtic clash

Robin van Persie maintains that Feyenoord is not in crisis ahead of their clash with Celtic on Thursday night, even after suffering a third consecutive loss…

Eredivisie: Feyenoord Rotterdam v NEC Nijmegen Rotterdam – Coach Robin van Persie of Feyenoord Rotterdam, Bryan Linssen of NEC Nijmegen during the thirteenth competition round of the 2025 2026 Eredivisie season. The match is set between Feyenoord Rotterdam and NEC Nijmegen at Stadion Feijenoord De Kuip on 23 November 2025 in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. IMAGO Photo: Yannick Verhoeven

Celtic head to Rotterdam to take on the Dutch side in the Europa League, aiming to strengthen their chances of progressing in the competition after a tough first four games.

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The Hoops will benefit from Feyenoord having to shut off roughly a quarter of their imposing De Kuip stadium due to a UEFA-imposed sanction.

Feyenoord’s surprising 4-2 loss at home to NEC on Sunday extended their losing streak to three matches, following previous defeats against Stuttgart in the Europa League and Go Ahead Eagles in the Eredivisie.

However, ex-Manchester United and Arsenal forward van Persie insists there is no reason for alarm ahead of their encounter with the Scottish champions.

Eredivisie: Feyenoord Rotterdam v NEC Nijmegen Rotterdam – Coach Robin van Persie of Feyenoord Rotterdam during the thirteenth competition round of the 2025 2026 Eredivisie season. The match is set between Feyenoord Rotterdam and NEC Nijmegen at Stadion Feijenoord De Kuip on 23 November 2025 in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. IMAGO Photo Yannick Verhoeven

Speaking via The National, van Persie said: “You could call it a crisis if you play really poorly and don’t show anything. That’s not the case. We played a fantastic first half against NEC. We should really have won that match. It’s not good enough, and this isn’t Feyenoord, but every match has its own story.

“But we have now conceded ten goals in our last four league matches, and that’s too much. And to lose the last three matches is unworthy of Feyenoord. What happened was we lost a few tackles and were sloppy. But we have to defend better in our next match.”

Dutch international midfielder Luciano Valente stated that Feyenoord’s display at the weekend fell far short of acceptable standards.

He said, “If you want to compete for the title, we simply have to win these kinds of games. Too often this season, we have been lacklustre after the break, and that happened again. The players need to step up now, because that was absolutely unacceptable.”

Feyenoord currently sit 29th in the Europa League on three points. Celtic are two places above the Dutch side on four points after four games. Both sides really need to get a result on Thursday, so it should be some game!

Conor Spence

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