Feyenoord Adjusts Lineup for Fortuna Match Without Jeremiah St. Juste

Feyenoord will have to defend their place at the top of the Vriendenloterij Eredivisie without Jeremiah St. Juste on Saturday, after Giovanni van Bronckhorst confirmed the defender has been sidelined by an ankle injury.

Speaking in Rotterdam-Zuid on Friday, the Feyenoord coach drew a clear line under any late fitness hopes.

“I know for certain that Jerry won't be there tomorrow. We hope to get him ready for next week. So he won't be in the squad,” Van Bronckhorst said ahead of the clash with Fortuna Sittard at De Kuip, where kick-off is set for 16:30 and the game will be shown live on ESPN 3.

The absence of St. Juste forces a reshuffle at the back, but Van Bronckhorst does at least have some positive news elsewhere in his squad. Shaqueel van Persie and Reiss Nelson are back in full training as they edge towards a return to competitive action.

“I expect them both back next week. Whether that's against Inter or sc Heerenveen, we'll have to wait and see,” the coach explained, outlining a cautious but optimistic timeline. He also revealed that Gijs Smal has been ill this week, another small complication in his preparations.

Even without St. Juste, Feyenoord’s starting XI against Fortuna has a clear structure. Tjark Ernst gets the nod in goal, trusted to anchor a reworked defence. On the right flank, Givairo Read starts, while Javi López, who caught the eye after coming off the bench against PSV, is rewarded with a place at left-back.

In the heart of defence, Tsuyoshi Watanabe and Mika Mármol will form the central partnership tasked with keeping Fortuna’s attack quiet and maintaining the leaders’ defensive standards.

The balance in midfield looks deliberate. Charles Vanhoutte and Oussama Targhalline are set to provide the protective screen and passing platform, allowing Gjivai Zechiël to push higher up the pitch and attack the spaces towards Fortuna’s goal. The message is clear: control the middle, free the creator.

Out wide, Feyenoord will look for incision and width from Anis Hadj Moussa on the right and Luciano Valente on the left, two players expected to stretch the Limburg side and supply the front line.

At the tip of the attack, Nacho Ferri leads the line for the league leaders, carrying the responsibility of converting the chances that this reshaped but ambitious Feyenoord side will look to create in front of a demanding De Kuip crowd.