Preview: FC Twente vs. PEC Zwolle - prediction, team news, lineups

Aiming to move on from Eredivisie-opening losses, FC Twente and PEC Zwolle face off at De Grolsch Veste on matchday two.

The Tukkers were beaten 1-0 by Heerenveen while PEC fell to two late concessions against Ajax, after playing nearly the entire half with 10 men, and they look for a response on Sunday.

Match preview

Twente have undoubtedly had a mixed start to their season; progress has been made to the play-off round in the Conference League, but they must retain some disappointment at losing to Ferencvaros when Europa League football was achievable.

Losing to the Hungarian outfit on home turf left them facing an uphill task, and they struggled for large periods against 10 men in the reverse fixture, subsequently dropping to the third tier of continental football.

John van den Brom's team now enter Sunday's fixture with PEC having claimed just one win in five competitive matches to start the 2026-27 season, a 6-0 hammering over DAC 1904 before their Eredivisie opener against Heerenveen.

That 1-0 defeat means that the Reds have claimed just one win in their last five Eredivisie outings going back to last season — a 4-0 success over Sparta Rotterdam — but the last two results, either side of the summer break, have seen them concede six and score just one.

While the precedent against their next opponent reads five wins in 10, the Tukkers are winless in this fixture in two years, with most of their recent matchups ending in stalemates.

Indeed, PEC will be aware of said record, even if the only victory either side have claimed since May 2024 came in Zwolle last season, when Blauwvingers secured a 1-0 success.

Now hoping to beat their opponent for the second time in three encounters, the travelling fans will look away if their results in Enschede are presented: according to Transfermarkt, PEC have never beaten Twente away in 90 minutes in recorded history, highlighting their uphill challenge.

PEC's only success came in the 2015 domestic cup semi-final, albeit a shootout success en route to reaching consecutive title matches in the KNVB Cup.

Henry van der Vegt takes his team to Enschede, aiming to be the first manager in recorded history to get the better of the Pride of the East on their turf.

Indeed, that will require showing a better, front-foot version of themselves after a disappointing opening-day loss to Ajax — worsened by Sherel Floranus's 57th-minute sending-off that left Blauwvingers in the lurch for the remaining half-hour — the team's sixth in their past seven matches.

FC Twente Eredivisie form:

FC Twente form (all competitions):

PEC Zwolle Eredivisie form:

Team News

While Mees Hilgers's knee injury should keep him out on Sunday, Stav Lemkin's condition will be assessed before the matchday two encounter.

Wout Weghorst failed to open his Twente account on matchday one, but the forward is likely to retain his spot in Twente's XI for Sunday's fixture.

Nonetheless, Marko Pjaca — three goals, two assists — and Sondre Orjasaeter — four assists in five matches — enter this weekend's clash in significantly superior match-deciding form than the former Manchester United frontman.

The visitors will make do without the suspended Floranus after his red card against Ajax, meaning Tijs Velthuis ought to fill in at left-back.

Despite firing blanks in the opening-day loss, Thijs Oosting and Koen Kostons remain Blauwvingers' leading threats for their visit to De Grolsch Veste.

FC Twente possible starting lineup:

Unnerstall; Van Rooij, Bruns, Propper, Adelgaard; Zerrouki, Van den Belt; Pjaca, Rots, Orjasaeter; Weghorst

PEC Zwolle possible starting lineup:

Schendelaar; Aertssen, Graves, Viergever, Velthuis; Mbayo, Thomas, Sommer, Cissoko; Kostons, Oosting

We say: FC Twente 2-1 PEC Zwolle

Despite Weghorst yet to open his account for the Reds, the admirable form of Pjaca and Orjasaeter should eventually prove decisive.

The visitors will certainly fancy their chances of pinching a goal against a leaky Twente defence, but the Pride of the East possess sufficient final-third firepower to edge past their opponents.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.