NEC take on RKC Waalwijk at the Goffertstadion on Saturday evening, in the latest round of Eredivisie fixtures.
Both sides are yet to pick up a point this season, with the hosts currently sitting in 13th place, while the visitors are down in 17th.
Match preview
NEC have not made the best of starts to the Eredivisie campaign, but they have only lost narrowly in both of their first two games, and their defeat on the opening day of the season will be particularly tough to take.
Nijmegen led twice at home against Excelsior, but the visitors fought back towards the end of the game to record a 4-3 victory, with Uddenas Oscar scoring a 99th-minute winner to deny the hosts a point in cruel fashion.
In their first away game of the season, against Heracles, Rogier Meijer's side again looked impressive at times, going in at the half-time break one goal to the good courtesy of a Koki Ogawa effort, but they let their lead slip for the second game on the spin.
Emil Hansson and Anas Ouahim scored for the hosts in the second half, with NEC unable to get on the scoresheet despite having twice as many shots, and they will need to be much more clinical this weekend.
With Nijmegen desperately searching for their first win, it is a good time to come up against a side they have a very good record against, and Saturday's hosts have won four and drawn one of their last five games against RKC Waalwijk.
Waalwijk have often struggled against their upcoming opponents, particularly in their last match at the Goffertstadion, losing 6-1 after being reduced to 10 men after just 11 minutes.
RKC finished eighth in the Eredivisie last season, but they ended the campaign very poorly, losing six of their last eight games, and they closed out the campaign with a 5-0 loss against Twente followed by a 4-0 defeat against Cambuur.
After taking over in the summer, new manager Henk Fraser has also been unable to get a tune out of the squad, with his side losing four of their six pre-season games before being brushed aside by Heerenveen on the opening day, losing 3-1.
Last time out, Waalwijk were defeated by the same scoreline against AZ Alkmaar, although there were some signs of improvement, creating far more-clear cut chances, particularly in the first half, in which they recorded four shots on target.
Even though they have made a very disappointing start to the campaign, RKC need to take the positives from that performance against Alkmaar heading into a game against a side they have not beaten away from home since 2013.
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Team News
Nijmegen have a couple of players still missing due to injury, with Philippe Sandler sidelined, having been absent for the first two Eredivisie games, while Elayis Tavsan is also out after sustaining an issue against Excelsior.
NEC may have lost their opening two games, but Ogawa has been impressive, scoring two goals, and the striker is set to lead the line in what is likely to be a 4-2-3-1 system.
Waalwijk have no injury issues to deal with, but with his side losing their opening two games, Fraser may choose to make some changes to his side, with David Min potentially dropping out of the starting lineup.
The 24-year-old striker is without a goal so far this season, and he was withdrawn early in the most recent match against Alkmaar, so Richonell Margaret could come in alongside Michiel Kramer in attack, with the visitors likely to implement a 4-4-2 formation.
NEC possible starting lineup:
Cillessen; Van Rooij, Nuytinck, Verdonk, Baas; Schone, Proper, Hanse, Mattsson, Larsen; Ogawa
RKC Waalwijk possible starting lineup:
Vaessen; Lelieveld, Gaari, Van Den Buijs, Lutonda; Bakkali, Felida, Oukili, Cleonise; Margaret, Kramer
We say: NEC 2-0 RKC Waalwijk
NEC may consider themselves unlucky to have been on the receiving end of two defeats so far this season, but the visitors have very few positives to take out of their start to the campaign.
Nijmegen also have a very good home record against RKC Waalwijk, winning 6-1 in this fixture last season, so we think the hosts should be able to record a fairly comfortable victory.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Dominic Lund
