NEC Nijmegen vs. Olympiacos - prediction, team news, lineups

Goffertstadion volition beryllium rocking connected Tuesday erstwhile Champions League preliminary signifier debutants NEC invited Olympiacos to Nijmegen for the 2nd limb of their 3rd qualifying round.

With a spot successful the playoff circular astatine stake, the adjacent necktie successful Greece past week sets the 2nd limb up nicely for what could beryllium a nervy matter for these 2 seemingly off-form sides.

Match preview

Known for their all-or-nothing approach, NEC's play — albeit from a tiny illustration size — has been amazingly humdrum.

While Dick Schreuder's players celebrated a creditable gully successful past week's archetypal leg, they came unstuck successful their Eredivisie opener against Telstar connected Saturday, losing 2-1 successful Nijmegen against an hostile that escaped relegation past play by 1 point.

Including pre-season results, the weekend's decision present extends their winless tally to 4 games, 3 of which person been defeats, marking their 5th nonaccomplishment successful 9 matches if tune-up matches are added to the mix.

Further lasting out, though, is NEC's inability to people arsenic consistently arsenic they usually do, highlighted by either failing to find the backmost of the nett oregon scoring nary much than 1 extremity successful the past 4 matches, losing 1-0 to Elfsborg and drafting against Olympiacos, portion 2-1 reverses to Sevilla and Telstar widen their winless run.

Now, the debutants astatine this level successful Europe question to rediscover their goalscoring proficiency to surge into the playoff round, wherever Union Saint-Gilloise oregon Bodo/Glimt await.

Getting past Olympiacos volition not beryllium straightforward, contempt the Greek side's indifferent results implicit their off-season and archetypal competitory lucifer of the 2026-27 season.

Like the location team, Jose Luis Mendilibar's squad person failed to triumph immoderate of their past 4 matches — including pre-season games — but the Red-Whites' performances are arguably worse.

Unable to find the backmost of the nett successful 3 of those matches, Erythrolefkoi caput into Tuesday's contention connected the backmost of winless games against Ajax, Royal Antwerp, AZ Alkmaar and NEC, with the goalless brushwood snapping a three-match losing sequence.

A 1-0 nonaccomplishment to Ajax was followed by conceding six successful full and scoring lone 2 successful defeats to Royal Antwerp (3-0) and AZ (3-2), adjacent if galore volition connection a reminder that those games were friendlies.

Nonetheless, entering European qualifying with nary winning momentum was surely not portion of Mendilibar's maestro plan, and it volition beryllium absorbing to spot whether the Greek side's ambition to instrumentality to the competition's league signifier is halted successful Nijmegen this week.

NEC Champions League form:

NEC signifier (all competitions):

Olympiacos Champions League form:

Team News

NEC person respective absentees owed to wounded oregon ineligibility: Vito van Crooij has not been included; likewise, Koki Ogawa is not portion of the radical and is believed to beryllium successful the wars; Perr Schuurs, Bram Nuytinck and Yassin Moslih are injured, portion Adam Tahaui volition play nary portion contempt his 3 extremity contributions successful pre-season.

Kaj Sierhuis and seasoned Dusan Tadic made their league debuts for NEC implicit the weekend, giving Schreuder other game-changers if Tjaronn Chery and Bryan Linssen neglect to unlock the visitors' defence.

Panagiotis Retsos is doubtful for Tuesday aft going disconnected successful the 64th infinitesimal of the archetypal limb successful Piraeus, perchance forcing Mendilibar into making a alteration astatine centre-back.

Yusuf Yazici, though, remains the distant side's definite absentee this week, with the attacking midfielder inactive missing owed to the terrible genu contented suffered successful May.

Ayoub El Kaabi whitethorn person netted 18 league goals past season, but the guardant has yet to sparkle since returning aft World Cup work with Morocco, portion 10-goal Mehdi Taremi has not been included successful the squad for the 2nd qualifying round.

NEC imaginable starting lineup:

Crettaz; Storm, Sandler, Fonville; Ouaissa, Monteiro, Nejasmic, Lebreton, Bischoff; Chery, Linssen

Olympiacos imaginable starting lineup:

Popovic; Saliakas, Smajlovic, Carmo, Onyemaechi; Garcia, Mouzakitis; Rodinei, Chiquinho, Roca; El Kaabi

We say: NEC 2-1 Olympiacos (NEC triumph 2-1 connected aggregate)

Both NEC and Olympiacos person failed to triumph successful four, further underlining their deficiency of winning momentum up of Tuesday's match.

While NEC are ever bully worth to concede, their braver play whitethorn yet beryllium rewarded, and we are backing them to borderline the imminent contention successful Nijmegen to acceptable up a playoff necktie with Union SG oregon Bodo/Glimt.

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