Arne Slot sees Heerenveen as a ‘formidable opponent’ for Feyenoord: ‘Have we already made it difficult for us’ | Dutch football

He is “very pleased” with the way his football players live from match to match, Feyenoord reports on its own website. ,,I expect my players to have the same energy tomorrow as in recent weeks”, says Slot. In Heerenveen (goalkeeper) Justin Bijlow, Quinten Timber, Sebastian Szymański and Patrik Walemark are still missing with injuries. Slot does not want to emphasize that.

He does expect a motivated opponent, who also wants revenge for the defeat (1-4) at home against RKC Waalwijk last weekend. According to Slot, that result also gave a distorted picture. ,,The selection of Heerenveen has undergone a number of changes during the winter break and now you see that the team is getting better attuned to each other. It is again a formidable opponent for us, especially because they have already made it very difficult for us twice this season.”

Apart from being a quarter-finalist in the national cup, Feyenoord is the leader of the Eredivisie and will play in the eighth finals of the Europa League against Ukrainian top club Shakhtar Donetsk.

Sc Heerenveen does not expect Feyenoord to take it easy. Trainer Kees van Wonderen does not think that the team from Rotterdam deliberately let the game run, because there may be greater interests for the leader from the premier league. “I think you want to participate as long as possible on all fronts at a top club,” says the coach.

It goes without saying that he does not consider Heerenveen without a chance. “It is a nice challenge. We can get to the last four and you play against the number 1 in the Netherlands, who has done well,” he continues on the club’s website. “What we need is energy, but we also need to have a good day. You stand a chance if everything is right. But of course Feyenoord also wants to go to the cup final, so it will be full resistance. It will be a tough match.”

Last weekend, Heerenveen lost well to RKC (1-4) at home. Van Wonderen about this: ,,I didn’t think it was an off day, but it does say 1-4. Is that the reason to throw the whole thing upside down? For a long time we had a problem playing more attractively, being dominant on the ball and creating chances. We have now played well in the first hour, but a game lasts ninety minutes. Sometimes inexplicable things happen. We must stick to what we do well and take a critical look at what we do not do well.”