Round four of the 2022-23 Eredivisie season kicks off with a meeting between NEC and Groningen at Stadion de Goffert on Friday evening.
Both teams head into this one off the back of victories in their respective last outings and they will be looking to pick up where they left off.
Match preview
Groningen got their campaign up and running thanks to a narrow 1-0 victory over Go Ahead Eagles on Sunday at the Hitachi Capital Mobility Stadion.
Jeffrey De Lange's own goal inside the opening three minutes was enough to hand Frank Wormuth's men a hard-fought three points in an even contest.
Consequently, Trots van het Noorden have moved up to 10th place in the Eredivisie table having amassed four points from their opening three games so far.
Next up is the challenge of an opposing outfit with little to choose between the teams as the last 12 meetings have yielding four wins apiece for either side and as many draws.
Off the back of four straight away defeats in the league, Friday's visitors will be keen to stem the tide of their struggles on the road.
NEC Nijmegen saw off the threat of FC Volendam in an emphatic 4-1 victory two Sundays ago to secure their first win of the new domestic season.
Rogier Meijer's men went behind to Daryl van Mieghem's opener before hitting back through goals from Elayis Tavsan, Oussama Tannane, Mikkel Duelund and Jordy Bruijn.
With three from two outings this term, the Eniesee sit 11th in the standings, a place and a point adrift of their next opponents having played a game less.
Currently on a run of one victory in 10 competitive matches on home turf since the turn of the year, Friday's hosts will need to get their act together in front of their fans if they are to improve upon an 11th-placed finish last time out.
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Team News
Jan Hoekstra remains without an appearance for Groningen since January due to a shoulder problem and the goalkeeper is expected to be unavailable for the trip to Nijmegen.
Romano Postema will be looking to deliver the goods once again after he grabbed the winning goal in the most recent edition of Friday's fixture.
Twenty-three-year-old Magnus Mattsson is yet to fully recuperate from a knee problem and will not play any part for NEC Nijmegen in this one.
The away side are also set to be without the services of Philippe Sandler and Mathias De Wolf, who are down with ankle and muscle injuries respectively.
Dutch midfielder Jordy Bruijn marked his return to action with a goal last time out and could be rewarded with a place in the starting lineup here.
NEC possible starting lineup:
Cillessen; El Karouani, Kramer, Marquez, Van Rooij; Proper, Schone; Duelund, Tannane, Tavsan; Rosendo
Groningen possible starting lineup:
Verrips; Kasanwirjo, Te Wierik, Balker, Dybvik; Pelupessy, Duarte; Ngonge, Lundqvist, Oratmangoen; Larsen
We say: NEC 1-1 Groningen
As recent clashes suggest, there is little to choose between the sides ahead of this one and the match could go either way. We are tipping the teams to cancel each other out, giving rise to a share of the spoils at the sound of the final whistle.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
