Utrecht take on the visitors Sparta Rotterdam in the semifinal match for a place in Conference League in Dutch Eredivisie. The match will be played on Thursday, April 23rd at Stadion Galgenwaard (Utrecht).
Exactly a year ago, at the same playoff stage fighting for a spot in the Conference League, Utrecht lost to Sparta in a penalty shootout after exchanging home victories in regular time (1-2 and 1-0). Now, the team from the namesake city has an excellent chance to get revenge a year later. Perhaps back in June 2023, Utrecht just needed one more goal at home (1-2). I think this time the Red and Whites will be even more aggressive in attack. The team secured their playoff spot confidently and early in the regular season, scoring 49 goals in 34 rounds and finding the net in 9 of their last 10 matches.
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Sparta will do everything possible to once again prevent this opponent from reaching the playoff final, but this time they will try to avoid a penalty shootout. Just last year, the Rotterdammers played well away against Utrecht but performed poorly in the return match. In the penultimate round of this season’s league, the Castle Lords defeated the Red and Whites at the same stadium (1-0). Jeroen Rijsdijk's team is doing great in attack. Although they finished one place below Utrecht in the table, they scored a few more goals than their opponents. I believe the Rotterdammers won’t let Utrecht keep a clean sheet this time either. But they will concede at least once themselves.
The opponents had almost an equal season relative to each other. At the end of the regular season, the distance between them in the table was just one point. In the first match of this confrontation, the Red and Whites will play at home, making Utrecht a slight favorite. However, in the last few months, Sparta's players have looked much better on the field. I believe predicting the outcome of this match is like guessing on a daisy. Therefore, I’m opting for a simple but logical bet: Both teams to score. In the Dutch league, attacking always matters more than defense. Regarding these specific teams, last year they fought each other for the right to play in the Conference League. That happened in the playoff semifinals as well. The overall confrontation started in Utrecht, but the Rotterdammers were stronger in the first match (1-2).
Prediction for the match: Both teams to score – yes.
