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

Heerenveen welcome NAC Breda to Abe Lenstra Stadion in Friday's Eredivisie contest, aiming to extend their winning run in this fixture.

This weekend’s hosts have won the last four meetings across all competitions, and the Frisians seek another victory to move into the top half of the table and closer to European qualification.

Match preview

Heerenveen started the new season dealing with disciplinary issues, but these have been resolved, turning them into one of the form teams in the division heading into the 10th gameweek.

Robin Veldman's team received two red cards in defeats by Twente and Feyenoord; however, they have not been reduced to 10 men in the last four league games, winning three during that period.

One thing that remains unchanged, however, is De Superfriezen’s knack for scoring and conceding many goals; this is emphasised by their failure to keep a clean sheet in all nine league fixtures.

Even their turnaround has been marked by high-scoring games - 3-2 wins against NEC and Telstar, and a 2-2 draw at Utrecht - suggesting that this ongoing run is probably unsustainable if the team's attack ceases to score as efficiently.

Only Feyenoord (14 goals) and Twente (13) have scored more than Veldman's team in the last four rounds, and even the former's tally was boosted by scoring seven in the previous round against Heracles.

Owing to Heerenveen's strong attacking form, their supporters will expect another highly exciting game in Friesland, where they have only suffered one defeat since the start of February: the loss to Twente in August.

A victory could elevate the 11th-placed team as high as fifth if other results go their way, and the Frisians have good reason to be optimistic ahead of Friday.

That demand to win is doubly magnified considering the hosts' dominance in this fixture over the years, with NAC entering Friday's match on the back of four consecutive losses in this matchup, including three in the Eredivisie.

Unlike their hosts, whose results are trending upwards, the Breda-based visitors enter gameweek nine in dismal form, having lost two of their last three matches and five of their nine top-flight games.

Placed 13th in the form table over the past four rounds, the only victory during that period came against Heracles, who are second-bottom in the last four rounds and at the bottom for the season as a whole.

Nevertheless, while their results have not matched Heerenveen’s, Carl Hoefkens’s team have also shown a tendency to net in nearly every match, only failing to score in three of their opening nine rounds.

Three of those four blanks were at the season's start, with Parel van het Zuiden finding the net in five consecutive games, beating Heracles 2-1, drawing 2-2 against Twente and PEC Zwolle and suffering 2-1 defeats to Ajax and Groningen.

Given their hosts’ failure to keep clean sheets, the division’s 14th-placed team travel to Friesland, aware that they still have a slim chance of success at a ground where they have not won since securing a 2-0 victory in the domestic cup in November 2010.

Another poor result, however, could see them slide into the bottom two places, with just one point separating them from second-bottom FC Volendam ahead of the 10th gameweek.

Heerenveen Eredivisie form:

NAC Breda Eredivisie form:

Team News

While Heerenveen secured a 3-2 victory over Telstar without incident, the Super Frisians head into Friday's match missing injured players Pawel Bochniewicz (knee), Amourricho Van Axel-Dongen (muscle) and Levi Smans (knee).

Dylan Vente has scored in four consecutive Eredivisie matches, bringing his total to five league goals, and the forward aims to add to his growing tally.

Jacob Trenskow has contributed to three goals (two goals, one assist) in the last four league games, giving him five contributions this season and positioning him as one of the team’s primary attacking threats.

While NAC have a relatively fit squad, Terence Kongolo (muscle) and Moussa Soumano (knee) are likely to be absent for this weekend's fixture.

Having failed to score in his first four matches of the season before his red card against AZ Alkmaar, Sydney van Hooijdonk has now netted four league goals in his last four outings, including a brace in round nine’s 2-2 draw with Zwolle.

Veteran midfielder Lewis Holtby and left-back Boy Kemper each have three goal involvements and could both play decisive roles against Heerenveen.

Heerenveen possible starting lineup:

Klaverboer; Braude, Van Overeem, Willemsen, Zagaritis; Brouwers, Linday; Trenskow, Meerveld, Rivera; Vente

NAC Breda possible starting lineup:

Bielica; Valerius, Greiml, Hillen, Kemper; Balard, Holtby; Brym, Nassoh, Sowah; Van Hooijdonk