NAC Breda and NEC Nijmegen will be aiming to return to winning ways in the 2024-25 Eredivisie season when they meet at Rat Verlegh Stadion on Saturday evening.
These two are separated by just a single point, with the hosts on six after seven games and currently 16th in the league standings, while the visitors are in 12th place.
Match preview
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After stunning Ajax in gameweek two of the league season, NAC have struggled to pick up points with regularity, managing just one win in their last six games, which came against Fortuna Sittard after the international break.
Since then, they have lost back-to-back league matches against Feyenoord and, most recently, Twente last week, failing to score in either match, which sees them sat in the sole relegation playoff spot after seven games.
Notably, it is that same lack of attacking output that has been Carl Hoefkens's side's downfall this season, with their five-goal tally being the third-worst in the league this season, only ahead of basement clubs RKC Waalwijk (three) and Almere City (two).
However, despite their struggles this term, the hosts have done fairly well at home over the early stages, winning two of their three matches and coming within a whisker of beating Utrecht, before being undone by a stoppage-time brace from Noah Ohio after Lars Mol was sent off.
This will be the first meeting between these sides since they battled out the Eerste Divisie playoffs in 2021, which NEC won 2-1 thanks to a last-minute goal by the now-departed Jonathan Yula.
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Meanwhile, seven points in as many games is a long way from the type of start that NEC would have been aiming for after a spectacular last season in which they finished just three points off the European qualification places.
After losing the first two games of the campaign, NEC were building up solid momentum with back-to-back wins over Zwolle and Fortuna Sittard, but the international break came at the worst time, and since then, they have lost two and drawn one of their last three.
That draw came last week at home against Feyenoord and Rogier Meijer's side would have felt a tad unlucky not to have come away with all three points, having led the match for almost an hour before Jordan Matomba salvaged a point for De Stadionclub in the 88th minute.
Still, the performance the visitors put on last week would have given them a fair bit of confidence, and another positive result here could prove to be the catalyst for a change in their fortunes with a favourable run of fixtures on the horizon.
Team News
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NAC Breda have just two injury absentees for this weekend's fixture in the form of Aime Omgba and Raul Paula, both of whom are believed to be at least another two weeks away from returning to action.
With this being a home game, Hoefkens is likely to revert to a three-at-the-back formation featuring Leo Greiml, Jan Van den Bergh and Terence Kongolo, with Maximilien Balard and Fredrik Oldrup Jensen operating in the double pivot.
NEC are also expected to be missing two players for this weekend's trip to Breda, with Yvandro Borges Sanches and Philippe Sandler ruled out due to an ACL and unspecified injury respectively.
Sontje Hansen scored the opener for the visitors last weekend and should keep his place in the three-man attack alongside Japan international Koki Ogawa and Thomas Ouwejan, who has been playing in a much more advanced role this season.
NAC Breda possible starting lineup:
Bielica; Greiml, Van den Bergh, Kongolo; Valerius, Balard, Jensen, Kemper; Sauer, Kuijpers; Kostorz
NEC possible starting lineup:
Roefs; Pereira, Marquez, Nuytinck, Verdonk; Proper, Hoedemakers, Gonzalez; Hansen, Ogawa, Ouwejan
We say: NAC Breda 1-1 NEC
While NAC have been poor this season, they have managed to produce good performances at home and this arguably represents their easiest fixture in Breda following matches against Ajax, Utrecht and Fortuna Sittard.
However, NEC are coming off an impressive showing against Dutch giants Feyenoord last week, and we feel they will be able to get something from this one as well.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Devesh Jaganath
