Feyenoord doubt, Blind faith

By Berend Scholten

PSV Eindhoven and AZ Alkmaar may be dominating the Eredivisie this season, but when it comes to drama, neither side can conjure a meeting which evokes such intense excitement as that between eternal rivals Feyenoord and AFC Ajax.

Important slot
The fourth-placed Rotterdam team play host to the third-ranked Amsterdam club on Sunday, with both sides seeking to close the gap on Alkmaar in second, with an eye on UEFA Champions League qualification for next season.

Blind faith
Having dispensed with Ronald Koeman in March, Ajax did not immediately sparkle under new coach Danny Blind, but last weekend's 4-2 victory over injury-ravaged Alkmaar represented a massive boost. "The AZ result is what we needed," said Blind. "It makes it possible for us to look to second place again."

Awful result
The week before Ajax's win against Alkmaar, Feyenoord had beaten Co Adriaanse's team by the same scoreline. It was Feyenoord's seventh straight victory, but they came crashing to earth with a 4-1 defeat at rock-bottom FC Den Bosch on Wednesday.

Suspended stars
After bookings in that game, Feyenoord's Nicky Hofs and Pascal Bosschaart will be suspended against Ajax, but coach Ruud Gullit can take comfort in the fact visiting captain Rafael van der Vaart will also be absent, having sustained an ankle ligament injury in training.

Three-point gap
With Feyenoord three points behind Ajax (and four adrift of Alkmaar), Gullit stressed the importance of Sunday's fixture. "This is a match you always have to win, but now more then ever if we want to get second place," he said.

Quiet confidence
Considering the rivals' form, Gullit was quietly confident, saying: "Under Danny Blind, Ajax have played one good game and three bad ones - you can take an average of that. Since the winter break we have played eight reasonable to good matches, and one very bad one, so you can also take an average of that."