Preview: NAC Breda vs. Heerenveen - prediction, team news, lineups

NAC Breda and Heerenveen volition gully the curtain connected circular 18 of the 2024-25 Eredivisie play with a gathering astatine the Rat Verlegh Stadion connected Sunday afternoon.
 
The location broadside were connected the receiving extremity of a broad 4-0 decision successful August's reverse gathering against the visitors and volition present acceptable retired successful hunt of revenge.

Match preview

© Imago
 
Returning to the apical formation for the archetypal clip since 2019, NAC Breda were billed arsenic 1 of the aboriginal candidates for relegation, but it is harmless to accidental they person defied expectations midway done the campaign.
 
Carl Hoefkens's men divided their opening 10 matches into 5 wins and 5 defeats apiece to get disconnected to a decent start, though Breda person managed conscionable 2 victories from their 7 Eredivisie encounters since. 
 
Ending 2024 with back-to-back defeats against AZ Alkmaar and Go Ahead Eagles, Parel van het Zuiden volition request to prime themselves up arsenic soon arsenic imaginable amid their conflict for Conference League playoff qualification.
 
A 3-2 triumph implicit Swiss outfit Servette successful Tuesday's affable brushwood surely comes arsenic a invited boost for Breda, who continued their wont of uncovering the backmost of the nett astatine slightest erstwhile successful a crippled since drafting consecutive blanks successful aboriginal November.
 
However, with their violative output surging, Sunday's hosts person besides go much defensively porous, with 2 goals conceded successful 5 of their past 7 matches starring up to this weekend's encounter.

© Imago
 
Heerenveen person enjoyed a mixed run to date; adjacent cleanable successful beforehand of their fans and utterly abysmal distant from home, truthful the country of betterment going guardant is arsenic spelt retired arsenic it tin beryllium for them.
 
Only the existent apical 2 of PSV Eindhoven and Ajax person picked up much points successful location matches than Robin van Persie's men, who have, however, managed less points connected force territory than each but 2 sides successful the division.
 
Just implicit 2 weeks aft seeing their three-game winning tally nipped successful the bud successful their last outing of 2024 against Almere City, De Superfriezen took connected German sides Wehen and Paderborn successful affable matchups that ended successful a 1-0 decision and a 1-1 stalemate respectively.
 
One constituent shy of their adjacent opponents successful the Eredivisie table, Heerenveen volition beryllium seeking to implicit a league treble implicit Breda for the archetypal clip successful astir 12 years and triumph consecutive editions of this fixture.
 
Sunday's visitors travel up this weekend's matter with a KNVB-Beker round-of-16 contention against little league outfit Quick Boys connected Thursday evening earlier entertaining the situation of Ajax 3 days later.

NAC Breda Eredivisie form:

Heerenveen Eredivisie form:

Heerenveen signifier (all competitions):

Team News

© Imago

Nineteen-year-old Cherrion Valerius is unavailable for Breda arsenic helium continues his spell connected the sidelines with a genu wounded that has kept him retired of enactment since October.
 
Kacper Kostorz besides misses retired for the location broadside this play owed to an ankle problem, though the Poland planetary is expected to instrumentality to the fray sooner alternatively than later.
 
Pawel Bochniewicz is acceptable to beryllium retired a sixth consecutive crippled with a genu problem, portion Espen van Ee is ineligible to diagnostic present aft receiving his 5th yellowish paper against Almere.
 
As a effect of Van Ee's absence, midfielder Amara Conde, could beryllium reinstated to the visitors' lineup for what would beryllium a seventh starting quality of the season.

NAC Breda imaginable starting lineup:
Bielica; Van den Bergh, Kongolo, Mahmutovic; Sauer, Balard, Jensen, Lucassen; Leemans, Fernandes, Omarsson

We say: NAC Breda 1-0 Heerenveen

 
There is small to take betwixt the sides, and Sunday's contention could easy plaything successful either direction.
 
Playing successful beforehand of their fans, the onus is much connected Breda to prehend the initiative, truthful we fancy them to travel retired connected apical erstwhile each is said and done.

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

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