Friday, January 6, 2023 at 3:10 PM• Paul Jeursen • Last update: 15:25

Arne Slot has to do a lot of puzzles in the run-up to the competition match with FC Utrecht. It was previously announced that the team from Rotterdam will have to miss Gernot Trauner and Quinten Timber. At Friday’s press conference leading up to the Eredivisie game, Slot also reported that Mats Wieffer sustained an injury during training yesterday. Whether he can play on Sunday is still unclear. Furthermore, the coach did not want to comment on the alleged transfer from Ramiz Zerrouki to Feyenoord. The trainer wants to focus with his team on meeting FC Utrecht.

Wieffer’s injury is a hard blow for both the player and Slot. “It is tough to cope with the injury of Trauner and Timber, but luckily I have good players to replace them. I may not be able to draw Wieffer. Still, I can still put together a good team against Utrecht”, said Slot. Besides Wieffer, Patrik Wålemark and Marcus Pedersen were also unable to participate in all training sessions in recent days. The former skipped one session and was only fully operational again since yesterday. The Norwegian only trained again today.

Due to the lack of Trauner and Timber and the uncertainty surrounding Pedersen, Slot is forced to puzzle in the back and in midfield. The trainer said that left-footed Jacob Rasmussen could possibly play in the back right and that Lutsharel Geertruida would then move to Timber’s place if Wieffer was unable to play. Slot was asked whether he has enough selection players at his disposal, since players now have to be called upon who normally do not have a starting place, referring to Wieffer as a possible replacement for Timber. A possible arrival of Zerrouki could offer a solution. “We cannot spend unlimited money. Feyenoord really wants to defend place one in the Eredivisie, but we are not going to take any major financial risks and we will certainly not be rushed”, he said.

When asked by Joep Schreuder of the NOS why the Zerrouki wasn’t brought in Slot didn’t want to go in. “Those are all assumptions you make. I think that the Feyenoord club has already reached Ramiz at an earlier stage. Everything I say about that now leads to headlines. I would love it if it were about Utrecht. The guys that I now have at my disposal, and myself too, have to prepare us optimally for that”, said Slot. Last year, Feyenoord lost 3-1 in and against Utrecht. In De Galgenwaard, Willem Janssen, Moussa Sylla and Simon Gustafson scored the Utrecht goals after Luis Sinisterra had put Feyenoord ahead. This Sunday kicks off at 12.15 p.m.