Preview: NEC vs Go Ahead Eagles - prediction, team news, lineups

NEC Nijmegen host Go Ahead Eagles at the Goffertstadion in Nijmegen on Sunday in round seven of the Eredivisie.

Dick Schreuder's side sit 10th in the Eredivisie table with seven points from their opening six matches and have shipped eight goals without reply in their last two outings, while Joseph Oosting's Go Ahead Eagles arrive in ninth on nine points off the back of back-to-back draws.

Match preview

NEC arrive at this fixture having lost 3-0 away to Cambuur in their previous league outing, with Ilyes Hamache scoring either side of half-time before Iwan Henstra added a stoppage-time third.

That result was followed by a 5-0 Europa League defeat at Juventus, a game in which NEC completed 497 passes at 91% accuracy yet managed just two shots on target from 11 attempts.

The pattern across both matches was the same: a high defensive line repeatedly exposed in behind, and a forward line unable to convert its share of the ball into goals.

NEC have not scored in their last two matches, a run that has coincided with a fitness question over winger Clement Bischoff, previously one of the side's more productive creative outlets.

Tjaronn Chery, the club captain, remains NEC's top scorer with three goals in the league, and NEC have been awarded two penalties this season, more than any other side in the division.

Dick Schreuder's side reached the Champions League qualifying rounds over the summer, and the resulting fixture pile-up has left a squad short on depth as September wears on.

Go Ahead Eagles were held 1-1 at home by Groningen last time out, a game in which they delivered 35 crosses and eventually equalised through Soren Tengstedt in the 82nd minute.

Stefan Sigurdarson then spurned a clear chance to win that match late on, a miss that summed up a wider trend of Go Ahead Eagles creating heavily but not always converting.

Before that draw, Oosting's side shared six goals in a 3-3 draw at FC Utrecht and shipped five in a 5-2 defeat at AZ Alkmaar, either side of a 3-1 home win over ADO Den Haag.

Tengstedt is the division's outright leading scorer with five goals and two assists, and his movement from the right into central areas has repeatedly caused problems for opposition back lines.

Victor Edvardsen created seven chances in the draw with Groningen alone, underlining his role as the link between Go Ahead Eagles' midfield and their front line.

Go Ahead Eagles have conceded 13 goals in six matches, so for all their attacking momentum, Oosting's side have needed to simply outscore opponents rather than shut them out.

Captain Joris Kramer anchors the back four in front of Kjetil Haug, and his distribution from deep has become an increasingly important outlet as Go Ahead Eagles look to play through pressure rather than around it.

NEC Eredivisie form:

NEC form (all competitions):

Go Ahead Eagles Eredivisie form:

Team News

Emre Mor is out with a groin injury and is not expected to return until mid-October, while Deveron Fonville remains sidelined with an ankle problem until early October.

Ahmetcan Kaplan is a doubt with a knee issue that has him rated day-to-day, and pre-match reports also list Clement Bischoff as a fitness concern following the trip to Turin, though that has not been confirmed through official NEC channels at the time of writing.

For the visitors, Oosting will again be without Gerrit Nauber, who continues to manage a leg injury on a day-to-day basis.

Pim Saathof remains sidelined with a knee problem, but Oosting otherwise has a settled group of players available to select from.

NEC possible starting lineup:

Polster; Kabar, Storm, Sandler; Tahaui, Geiger, Nejasmic, Thomas; Chery, Tadic; Sierhuis

Go Ahead Eagles possible starting lineup:

Haug; Sampsted, Dirksen, Kramer, James; Meulensteen, Linthorst; Tengstedt, Edvardsen, Suray; Sigurdarson

We say: NEC 1-2 Go Ahead Eagles

NEC have shown enough going forward through Chery and Tadic to trouble most Eredivisie back lines, but conceding eight without reply in two matches suggests a defensive fix will not arrive by Sunday.

Go Ahead Eagles have not managed a clean sheet in six league games either, so an open contest looks the likeliest outcome, though Tengstedt's record of five goals and two assists gives the visitors the sharper cutting edge.

Home advantage and NEC's own attacking pedigree should be enough for a goal from Chery or Tadic, but Go Ahead Eagles' greater consistency in front of goal is the difference in a tight, high-scoring finish.

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