Preview: NEC vs FC Volendam - prediction, team news, lineups

NEC and FC Volendam bring the curtain down on round 26 of the 2025-26 Eredivisie season with a meeting at Goffertstadion on Sunday evening.

Both teams are in need of maximum points for very different reasons: the hosts are seeking to stake their claim for a top-three finish, while the visitors are aiming to pull away from relegation danger.

Match preview

On course for their highest-ever league finish and into the final of the KNVB Beker, few teams have exceeded expectations as positively as NEC this term.

Dick Schreuder's men put a four-game winless run behind them to claim a 3-2 triumph over PSV in Tuesday's semi-final, writing another remarkable chapter in what has undeniably been an outstanding campaign so far.

Next month's cup final undoubtedly represents NEC's biggest game for the remainder of the season. Still, they will be eager to return to winning ways on league duty this weekend and could move up to third in the Eredivisie table if Ajax fail to pick up maximum points on their trip to Groningen.

Having already beaten Volendam twice this season, NEC will be confident of making it three victories from three and extending their winning streak in this fixture to four, dating back to a 3-3 draw in November 2023 - the only time Sunday's hosts have failed to beat their visitors in the last eight encounters.

Only league leaders PSV (73) have scored more Eredivisie goals than NEC's 61, but defensive frailties have sometimes undermined their progress, with 43 goals conceded in 25 matches, the joint most of any top-half side.

Staring down the barrel of relegation at the start of February, Volendam have pieced together a solid run of three wins and a draw from five league matches to get their campaign back on track.

Sandwiched in between those Eredivisie fixtures was a KNVB-Beker exit at the hands of NEC, but Rick Kruys's men will be delighted to have moved five points clear of the drop zone after a hard-fought 3-2 win over Groningen last time out, courtesy of Robert Muhren's 98th-minute winner.

While Het Andere Oranje can take heart from their recent resurgence, they remain wary of how quickly fortunes can change in a relegation battle, meaning any drop-off in performance cannot be tolerated at this stage.

Despite being 10 places lower in the standings, Volendam have shipped fewer league goals than their next opponents, though it is unlikely Sunday's visitors will rely on their defensive unit keeping a clean sheet off the back of 11 matches without one.

Volendam have also conceded the opening goal in six of their last seven matches - a tendency that will be rigorously tested by opponents who have made a habit of fast starts, netting eight goals in the opening 15 minutes of matches this season.

NEC Eredivisie form:

NEC form (all competitions):

FC Volendam Eredivisie form:

FC Volendam form (all competitions):

Team News

Gonzalo Alejandro Crettaz missed NEC's victory over PSV due to injury and is not expected to recover in time to feature in goal this weekend.

Nineteen-year-old Freek Entius also remains sidelined with a knee injury, further depleting the home side's goalkeeping options.

After a sub-par debut season in Nijmegen, Bryan Linssen is now up to 15 direct goal contributions in 26 matches this term, making him one to keep an eye on.

Brandley Kuwas and Benjamin Pauwels were both forced off through injury in Volendam's 3-2 win over Groningen, making them major doubts for Sunday.

Meanwhile, long-term absentees Anthony Descotte (hamstring) and Henk Veerman (ankle) remain out of contention, while Gibson Yah (knee) and Nordin Bukala (muscle) are also sidelined.

NEC possible starting lineup:

Cillessen; Pereira, Kaplan, Fonville; Ouaissa, Sano, Nejasmic, Onal; Chery, Linssen, Ogawa

FC Volendam possible starting lineup:

Van Oevelen; Leliendal, Verschuren, Amevor, Ugwu; Van Cruijsen, Kwakman, Kokcu; Ould-Chikh, Muhren, Oehlers

We say: NEC 3-1 FC Volendam

Buoyed by reaching their second cup final in three years, NEC head into Sunday's clash with plenty of momentum.

While Volendam have shown signs of improvement recently, we expect the visitors to fall short against the hosts, who should cruise to a comfortable victory.

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