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

Goffertstadion will be rocking on Tuesday when Champions League preliminary stage debutants NEC welcome Olympiacos to Nijmegen for the second leg of their third qualifying round.

With a place in the playoff round at stake, the even tie in Greece last week sets the second leg up nicely for what could be a nervy affair for these two seemingly off-form sides.

Match preview

Known for their all-or-nothing approach, NEC's season — albeit from a small sample size — has been surprisingly humdrum.

While Dick Schreuder's players celebrated a creditable draw in last week's first leg, they came unstuck in their Eredivisie opener against Telstar on Saturday, losing 2-1 in Nijmegen against an opponent that escaped relegation last season by one point.

Including pre-season results, the weekend's defeat now extends their winless run to four games, three of which have been defeats, marking their fifth loss in nine matches if tune-up matches are added to the mix.

Further standing out, though, is NEC's inability to score as consistently as they usually do, highlighted by either failing to find the back of the net or scoring no more than one goal in the past four matches, losing 1-0 to Elfsborg and drawing against Olympiacos, while 2-1 reverses to Sevilla and Telstar extend their winless run.

Now, the debutants at this level in Europe seek to rediscover their goalscoring proficiency to surge into the playoff round, where Union Saint-Gilloise or Bodo/Glimt await.

Getting past Olympiacos will not be straightforward, despite the Greek side's indifferent results over their off-season and first competitive match of the 2026-27 season.

Like the home team, Jose Luis Mendilibar's team have failed to win any of their last four matches — including pre-season games — but the Red-Whites' performances are arguably worse.

Unable to find the back of the net in three of those matches, Erythrolefkoi head into Tuesday's contest on the back of winless games against Ajax, Royal Antwerp, AZ Alkmaar and NEC, with the goalless encounter snapping a three-match losing sequence.

A 1-0 loss to Ajax was followed by conceding six in total and scoring only two in defeats to Royal Antwerp (3-0) and AZ (3-2), even if many will offer a reminder that those games were friendlies.

Nonetheless, entering European qualifying with no winning momentum was certainly not part of Mendilibar's master plan, and it will be interesting to see whether the Greek side's ambition to return to the competition's league phase is halted in Nijmegen this week.

NEC Champions League form:

NEC form (all competitions):

Olympiacos Champions League form:

Team News

NEC have several absentees due to injury or ineligibility: Vito van Crooij has not been included; likewise, Koki Ogawa is not part of the group and is believed to be in the wars; Perr Schuurs, Bram Nuytinck and Yassin Moslih are injured, while Adam Tahaui will play no part despite his three goal contributions in pre-season.

Kaj Sierhuis and veteran Dusan Tadic made their league debuts for NEC over the weekend, giving Schreuder extra game-changers if Tjaronn Chery and Bryan Linssen fail to unlock the visitors' defence.

Panagiotis Retsos is doubtful for Tuesday after going off in the 64th minute of the first leg in Piraeus, possibly forcing Mendilibar into making a change at centre-back.

Yusuf Yazici, though, remains the away side's certain absentee this week, with the attacking midfielder still missing due to the severe knee issue suffered in May.

Ayoub El Kaabi may have netted 18 league goals last season, but the forward has yet to sparkle since returning after World Cup duty with Morocco, while 10-goal Mehdi Taremi has not been included in the squad for the second qualifying round.

NEC possible starting lineup:

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

Olympiacos possible starting lineup:

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

We say: NEC 2-1 Olympiacos (NEC win 2-1 on aggregate)

Both NEC and Olympiacos have failed to win in four, further underlining their lack of winning momentum ahead of Tuesday's match.

While NEC are always good value to concede, their braver play may ultimately be rewarded, and we are backing them to edge the imminent contest in Nijmegen to set up a playoff tie with Union SG or Bodo/Glimt.

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