Robin Veldman is looking forward to Sunday afternoon’s meeting with Feyenoord, and he is treating it as a proper test for SC Heerenveen. The home side will welcome the Eredivisie leaders to the Abe Lenstra Stadion with every player fit and available.
That matters now because this is not just another league fixture. Heerenveen go into it with a full squad, while the stadium will not be sold out after the club used a limited ticket-sale policy for safety reasons. Only season-ticket holders were able to buy extra tickets, which means the atmosphere will be strong but the crowd will be capped.
Veldman knows the scale of the challenge. Feyenoord have a lot of attacking quality and dynamism, he said, even if they have not won in their last four matches. He pointed to Tuesday evening’s 0-3 loss to Internazionale in the Champions League and described that kind of night as a game against the big men. He also said Feyenoord created plenty of chances in the Eredivisie and could have won by a much larger margin against Fortuna Sittard.
That mix of sharp attack and recent frustration is what makes Sunday interesting. Feyenoord still arrive as the team at the top of the Eredivisie, but their run without a win leaves room for doubt, and Heerenveen have the clean sheet as a season-long target. If Veldman’s side can keep their defensive shape and use the fact that preparation has gone smoothly, they will have a real chance to turn availability into a result.
The next moment that matters is simple: 12.15 uur on Sunday afternoon at the Abe Lenstra Stadion, when Heerenveen find out whether a full squad is enough to trouble the leaders.
