NEC Nijmegen vs Go Ahead Eagles: Fragile Hosts Face Fearless Visitors

NEC Nijmegen return to the Goffertstadion on Sunday carrying the weight of eight unanswered goals and a growing sense that their early-season promise is slipping away. Go Ahead Eagles arrive one place and two points better off in the Eredivisie table – and with the kind of attacking verve that could turn an anxious afternoon into a brutal one for the home side.

Schreuder’s side sit 10th with seven points from six games. The numbers from their last two outings are stark: 3-0 down at Cambuur, 5-0 beaten at Juventus in the Europa League. Eight conceded, none scored. Confidence has taken a hit, and so has the back line.

NEC searching for a reset

The loss at Cambuur laid bare the issues. Ilyes Hamache struck either side of half time, then Iwan Henstra added a stoppage-time third as NEC’s high defensive line was repeatedly picked apart. The same pattern resurfaced in Turin.

Against Juventus, NEC actually saw a lot of the ball. They completed 497 passes at 91% accuracy and still produced just two shots on target from 11 attempts. Plenty of possession, little penetration. When they did push up, the space in behind was ruthlessly exploited again.

They have not scored in their last two matches. That barren run has coincided with a fitness cloud over winger Clement Bischoff, one of their more inventive outlets in the final third. Without his spark, the attack has looked blunt.

Responsibility has fallen heavily on captain Tjaronn Chery. He remains NEC’s top scorer in the league with three goals and is still the main reference point between midfield and attack. NEC have been awarded two penalties this season – more than any other side in the division – and Chery’s composure in those moments has been a rare constant.

The broader picture is unforgiving. Dick Schreuder’s group has been stretched by a Champions League qualifying campaign over the summer, and the schedule has begun to bite. A thin squad is being asked to handle European travel and domestic intensity as September grinds on, and the cracks at both ends of the pitch are showing.

Go Ahead Eagles: chaos, chances and goals

Go Ahead Eagles, by contrast, have built a reputation for chaos. Joseph Oosting’s team sit ninth with nine points and come into this one on the back of consecutive draws that could easily have been wins.

Their most recent outing, a 1-1 home draw with Groningen, told its own story. Go Ahead Eagles slung in 35 crosses and finally broke through in the 82nd minute, Soren Tengstedt arriving to level the game. The pressure was relentless. The finishing, again, not always.

Stefan Sigurdarson then passed up a clear chance to win it late on, a miss that summed up a wider theme: they create heavily but don’t always kill teams off. That said, they are rarely dull.

Before Groningen, Oosting’s men shared six goals in a breathless 3-3 draw at FC Utrecht and conceded five in a 5-2 defeat at AZ Alkmaar, either side of a 3-1 home win over ADO Den Haag. Thirteen goals conceded in six league games underlines the trade-off: this is a side that prefers to outscore you rather than shut you down.

At the heart of it all is Tengstedt. The forward is the Eredivisie’s outright leading scorer with five goals and two assists, his movement from the right into central pockets repeatedly unsettling back fours. Defenders know where he starts. They rarely know where he’ll finish.

Behind him, Victor Edvardsen is the glue. He created seven chances in the draw with Groningen alone, knitting midfield to attack and feeding those runs from wide and deep. When Go Ahead Eagles flow, Edvardsen is usually on the ball.

Captain Joris Kramer anchors the back four in front of goalkeeper Kjetil Haug. His distribution from deep has become a key release valve, allowing Oosting’s side to play through pressure instead of simply clearing their lines. It’s high-risk, high-reward football – and NEC’s high line may offer space that suits them perfectly.

Team news

NEC’s selection picture remains complicated.

Emre Mor is out with a groin injury and is not expected back until mid-October. Deveron Fonville is also sidelined with an ankle problem until early October. Ahmetcan Kaplan is a doubt due to a knee issue and is being monitored day-to-day.

Clement Bischoff is also listed as a fitness concern after the trip to Turin, though that has not been confirmed through official NEC channels. If he misses out, Schreuder loses another creative option in wide areas.

A possible NEC XI could see Polster in goal behind a back three of Kabar, Storm and Sandler. Tahaui and Thomas are likely to operate in the wide roles, with Geiger and Nejasmic in central midfield. Chery and Tadic would then support Sierhuis up front in a bid to finally turn possession into goals.

Go Ahead Eagles’ situation is clearer. Gerrit Nauber remains out as he continues to manage a leg injury on a day-to-day basis, while Pim Saathof is still sidelined with a knee problem. Beyond that, Oosting has a settled core to choose from.

Haug should start in goal, with Sampsted, Dirksen, Kramer and James forming the back four. Meulensteen and Linthorst are expected to patrol midfield. Tengstedt, Edvardsen and Suray will likely line up behind central striker Sigurdarson in a familiar, attack-minded shape.

Prediction: NEC 1-2 Go Ahead Eagles

NEC have enough quality in the final third, especially through Chery and Tadic, to trouble a defence that has yet to keep a clean sheet in six league games. Home advantage and their penalty threat suggest they will find a way onto the scoresheet.

But the defensive numbers are hard to ignore. Eight conceded without reply in two matches, the same structural issues repeating themselves, and a tired squad facing one of the division’s in-form forwards.

Go Ahead Eagles rarely keep things tight, yet Tengstedt’s five goals and two assists point to a sharper edge in front of goal. In what should be an open, stretched contest, that cutting edge may tilt a tight game the visitors’ way.

If NEC’s high line doesn’t bend on Sunday, it might just break again.