Heerenveen vs NEC - prediction, team news, lineups

Round 11 of the 2026-27 Eredivisie play sees Heerenveen look NEC astatine the Abe Lenstra Stadion connected Saturday.

The hosts are aiming for a 4th consecutive triumph to proceed their resurgence, portion the visitors, contempt a six-game unbeaten run, are inactive searching for their archetypal league triumph since August.

Match preview

Heerenveen's 1-0 triumph implicit FC Twente successful the opening gameweek was 1 of their astir awesome results. However, a tally of conscionable 1 triumph from the adjacent 7 matches - yielding lone six points from a imaginable 21 - dampened the temper considerably.

Nothing boosts assurance similar a resounding victory, and Robin Veldman’s men delivered conscionable that with a 4-0 triumph implicit SBV Excelsior successful their 2nd crippled backmost from the planetary break. That effect sparked a three-game winning run, which continued with Wednesday’s cupful occurrence against Excelsior Maassluis.

Not since September 2017 person De Superfriezen won 4 consecutive competitory matches. This weekend’s clash provides a immense accidental to extremity that wait, facing an hostile winless successful the past 3 meetings and beaten connected their past 2 visits to the Abe Lenstra Stadion.

Heerenveen are averaging lone 1.4 goals per location league lucifer this play and volition look to amended their attacking output. Defensively, however, they person been solid, keeping 3 cleanable sheets successful 5 location games, including the past two.

With a travel to Feyenoord pursuing Saturday’s clash with NEC, Heerenveen are acceptable for back-to-back matches against Dutch clubs competing successful Europe - a preliminary trial of their readiness to situation for continental qualification aft a 16-year wait.

Perhaps owed to the added demands of Europa League shot for the archetypal time, NEC person made an underwhelming commencement to the existent campaign, having finished 3rd past play portion averaging much than 2 goals per game.

While Dick Schreuder’s men person steadied themselves aft a tally of 5 defeats successful 7 matches betwixt August 19 and September 17 - going unbeaten since - they person managed conscionable 1 triumph successful six, which came against Dinamo Zagreb.

Sunday’s 2-2 gully with Groningen was creditable fixed the circumstances, but it extended NEC’s winless league streak to 7 matches. They person collected conscionable 5 points successful that span and person slipped from seventh to 12th successful the table.

Schreuder, who inactive retains important goodwill from past season’s heroics, volition beryllium anxious to crook things astir successful the adjacent 3 games earlier the November planetary break.

Saturday’s visitors person conceded 10 of their 18 goals earlier fractional clip and person fallen down archetypal successful 4 of their past 5 matches. This weekend’s fixture against a Heerenveen broadside that person opened the scoring successful 4 of their past 5 matches volition supply a stern trial of NEC’s early-game frailties.

Heerenveen Eredivisie form:

Heerenveen signifier (all competitions):

NEC Eredivisie form:

NEC signifier (all competitions):

Team News

Midfielder Levi Smans has missed Heerenveen’s past 2 matches and is not expected to diagnostic this play either.

Following his stellar show successful midweek, Jacob Trenskow present has 5 goals and 2 assists successful his past 5 matches, making him 1 to watch.

NEC’s Philippe Sandler is ruled retired for Saturday’s travel done wounded and is joined connected the sidelines by chap Dutch defenders Bram Nuytinck (ankle) and Yassin Moslih.

Further up the pitch, Dusan Tadic (calf) and Emre Mor (groin) are besides unavailable for the visitors, but Ayodele Thomas is backmost successful contention.

Tjarron Chery has scored successful his past 2 distant outings, and the 38-year-old who netted doubly successful March’s brushwood with Heerenveen volition beryllium looking to present again.

Heerenveen imaginable starting lineup:

Klaverboer; Braude, Kersten, Willemsen, Zagaritis; Linday, Courtens; Trenskow, Meerveeld, Rivera; Vente

NEC imaginable starting lineup:

Crettaz; Fonville, Kaplan, Schuurs; Bischoff, Monteiro, Nejasmic, Kers; Lebreton, Chery, Linssen

We say: Heerenveen 2-1 NEC

NEC took the league by tempest with their attacking firepower past season, and portion that menace has diminished, we inactive expect them to find the nett successful Heerenveen.

That said, we are backing the hosts to unafraid maximum points and support their winning tally going.

For information investigation of the astir apt results, scorelines and much for this lucifer delight click here.