Feyenoord faces an important week. Away at FCSB, the team must win to keep their hopes of reaching the knockout stages of the Europa League alive. At the same time, there may be more to be achieved this season in the Eredivisie, where the cracker against arch-rival Ajax awaits on Sunday. That raises the question: should Robin van Persie rest some players on Thursday to go into the Classic fully fit?
After all, this Classic is an important one. The Amsterdam team is having a bad season and partly because of this, Feyenoord already has a firm grip on second place, which at the end of the day entitles them to Champions League football. If the team wins in the capital, it will put Ajax, one of the pursuers, 11 points away. Moreover, Feyenoord would definitively put the poor results of the past month and the unrest that resulted behind them if, after Telstar and PEC Zwolle, their arch rival is also defeated.
For this, Feyenoord must appear well rested at the kick-off on Sunday at 2:30 PM. That may be difficult, as the team will play a distant and important away match in Bucharest on Thursday. Ajax will be in action on Wednesday when they visit Qarabag and will therefore have an extra day to recover. Added to this is the wave of injuries this season. Due to the many injuries at Feyenoord, some players who are available have had to play more than intended. For them, a match rest would possibly be very welcome.
At the same time, the match against FCSB is of course also important. Feyenoord is in a bad position in the Europa League, but still has a chance of reaching the next round if they win in Bucharest. Although the opponent is not a high flyer, it became clear at SC Braga that the Rotterdam team must take every European match seriously. Then Van Persie made many changes and Feyenoord lost 1-0.
During the press conference after the match against PEC Zwolle, this dilemma was also presented to Van Persie himself. “Thursday feels like our last chance in Europe,” he responded. “We know where we stand and realize that things have to improve in Europe, but we really want that. We are going for that last chance and all the focus is on that match. We are taking Sunday into account a little bit, but we would like to win against FCSB.” In doing so, he seemed to make it clear that there will not be many changes in any case, although the possibility remains that one or a few players will be rested.
Feyenoord must save players for the Classic against FCSB
