Feyenoord slipped up in domestic competition this weekend, ahead of their crunch Europa League clash against Rangers.
The Eredivisie outfit have struggled for consistency this season, although there have been signs of improvement since Dick Advocaat replaced Jaap Stam as manager.
Heading into Sunday’s clash with Groningen, they had won their last two games against VVV-Venlo and RKC Waalwijk and were looking like mounting a charge up the division.
However, they were pinned back by fellow a mid-table side, drawing 1-1 on the road this time around, leaving them in an unimpressive 10th spot [BBC Sport].
Former Gers boss Advocaat fielded what appeared to be close to a full-strength side for the fixture and striker Luis Sinisterra gave Feyenoord the lead after 32 minutes.
However, they were unable to press home that advantage and the hosts, who dominated possession, equalised courtesy of a penalty on the hour mark.
This result, against a middling fellow Dutch side, shows that Rangers certainly have no reason to fear their opponents on Thursday night.
Sure, these dropped points came away from De Kuip, which is heralded as something as a fortress.
Yet, Feyenoord have won only three of their seven league matches at home this campaign [Soccerstats], so the stats would suggest that factor has been overplayed.
There’s no doubt the Dutch have fine individual players like Steven Berghuis, who is a Netherlands international with seven goals and three assists in the league.
As a unit, though, they have underperformed this season and Rangers were well worth their win at Ibrox back in September.
This game isn’t quite do or die, with the safety net of a home tie against Young Boys for the final group game, but if the Gers can go and put in another strong European performance, there’s every chance they could come away with all three points.
