In an atmosphere that will be reminiscent of Roda JC’s Eredivisie years, the Kerkrade team will be on the hunt for a ticket for the semi-finals of the play-offs on Saturday.
In the return match against Excelsior, Roda JC can either ensure a double showdown with the number sixteen of the Eredivisie, or the season will come to an abrupt end. “It is up to us to accelerate, to show people why they are coming, and to ensure that they can come even more often in these play-offs,” said midfielder Niek Vossebelt.
Assignment
After the 2-2 draw in Rotterdam on Tuesday, Roda JC’s assignment in his own stadium is clear: winning Excelsior means a place in the next round, the semi-finals of the play-offs for promotion to the Eredivisie. In the event of a defeat, the Roda players can go on holiday, in the event of a draw, an extension and possibly even a penalty series will have to be involved.
Great starting position
Roda’s starting position therefore looks good, apart from the fact that Jurgen Streppel’s team put down a very poor first half on Wednesday. In the second half, Roda turned the game around with a beautiful goal from Dylan Vente and a fumble goal from Stefano Marzo. In addition, Roda can count on about 14,000 spectators in the Parkstad Limburg Stadium (PLS).
Interest
That number of spectators is an indicator of the craving for Eredivisie football in the Oostelijke Mijnstreek. Roda has been bivouacking in the Kitchen Champion Division for four years now and under Streppel Roda plays attractive football, which this season was also combined with results.
The last time it PLS was as full as Saturday evening will be in December 2018. Then the Ajax of, among others, Frenkie de Jong, Matthijs de Ligt and Dusan Tadic squeezed past Roda via penalties. In the Keuken Kampioen Divisional context, only the home match against Jong Ajax at the beginning of April, with 13,001 visitors, came close to that number.
Selection
Only Florian Mayer and Pele van Anholt are missing from Roda on Saturday, the injured duo of whom it has been clear for some time that they will no longer be in action this season. Not many changes in the starting team should be expected, although the question is what the midfield will look like. Vossebelt and Davy van den Berg played against Excelsior and Robert Klaasen – who came in – and Benjamin Bouchouari had to settle for a reserve role.
L1 Radio
The match between Roda JC and Excelsior starts on Saturday at 20:00. The match can be followed live via L1 Radio. The broadcast will already start at 19:00 and in the run-up to the kick-off, various reports and previews can be heard.