Feyenoord also misses Quinten Timber against Heracles Almelo

“Quinten has just partially trained,” coach Robin van Persie said during a press conference in De Kuip. “But he is not yet fit for Sunday. He has simply not done enough for that.”

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Feyenoord is at the top of the Eredivisie, with a three-point lead over PSV. Both title candidates will meet each other next Sunday in De Kuip.

Feyenoord first plays a home game with Panathinaikos in the Europa League on Thursday, Heracles Almelo is at the bottom. “They are in a difficult phase. Confidence is lower than normal,” said Van Persie. “But we certainly do not take this match lightly. This match is perhaps even more important than next week’s against PSV. We have to get the points here.”

Robin van Persie happy with his internationals

The match against Heracles comes too early for the injured Jakub Moder. Van Persie has seen many international players from his selection return satisfied in recent days. “I am happy that they have stayed fit. Gaoussou Diarra has scored his first goal for Mali. Jordan Bos scored against the United States and Ayase Ueda scored goals against Brazil and Paraguay. We have just had a meeting and we again pointed out the interests and goals of Feyenoord.”

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Van Persie also sees his second goalkeeper Justin Bijlow getting fitter. “He can now participate in all training sessions,” he said. “Now he has to start making minutes. Maybe that can be done in the cup tournament.”