Preview: PEC Zwolle vs Heracles - prediction, team news, lineups

In their first match since suffering relegation from the Eredivisie, Heracles travel to the MAC3PARK Stadion on Sunday to face PEC Zwolle.

Starting the weekend just four points clear of the bottom three, the hosts are aiming to pull clear of relegation danger and avoid joining their visitors in the second tier next season.

Match preview

Despite winning just one of their four matches, PEC Zwolle enjoyed an unbeaten March, moving up to 12th in the standings, eight points off the European places heading into the final six games.

A 5-0 thrashing by Go Ahead Eagles to start April was far from ideal, but Henry van der Vegt's men responded with a 2-2 draw against Excelsior, only to suffer another heavy 6-1 defeat on April 30—this time to reigning champions PSV Eindhoven.

From a position of relative comfort, De Blauwvingers have been gradually drawn into a relegation scrap and could finish matchday 32 just outside the drop zone, depending on results elsewhere if they lose this weekend.

While a home defeat to the league's bottom side may seem unlikely, November's reverse fixture is a stark reminder of what is possible—Zwolle were thrashed 8-2 by a Heracles side with just one win in 10 at the time.

However, Sunday's hosts have been tough to beat at home lately, losing just one of their last eight matches at MAC3PARK Stadion and picking up 25 of their 34 points there.

© Iconsport / ANP

For some time, Heracles' demotion to the Eerste Divisie has looked inevitable, and Sunday's 2-0 defeat to fellow strugglers FC Volendam confirmed their fate.

Heracles regained promotion at the first attempt after their 2022 relegation, but Ernest Faber's men will need significant improvement to repeat that feat.

Defensive frailties have plagued Heracles all season, with their tally now at 79 goals conceded, at least 13 more than any other team in the division.

With nothing at stake, the Heraclieden can now afford to play without pressure—perhaps giving freedom to an attack that has failed to score in six of the last nine matches.

Just over a quarter of Heracles' 34 goals this season came in that November rout of Zwolle, which marked their second straight win in this fixture. However, they have lost each of their last five visits to the MAC3PARK Stadion.

Heracles and Zwolle rank first and second for goals conceded in the final 15 minutes of matches, so late drama could be on the cards this weekend.

PEC Zwolle Eredivisie form:

Heracles Eredivisie form:

Team News

© Iconsport

Shola Shoretire, Jan Faberski, David Woute, Jamiro Monteiro and Samir Lagsir are all nursing knee injuries, ruling them out of contention for Zwolle.

Jasper Schendelaar has not featured since October due to a thigh issue and remains unavailable, while Damian van der Haar and Jadiel Pereira de Gama are also expected to miss out.

Thijs Oosting and Odysseus Velanas have both scored in each of Zwolle’s last two home matches and will be aiming to make an impact again this weekend.

Fabian De Keijzer (hip) and Mike te Wierik (ankle) are Heracles’ only confirmed absentees, with the former yet to feature since January.

However, Tristan van Gilst is a doubt for the visitors after being forced off just shy of the hour mark against Volendam.

PEC Zwolle possible starting lineup:

De Graaff; Aertssen, Graves, MacNulty, Floranus; Thomas, Buurmeester; Namli, Oosting, Velanas; Kostons

Heracles possible starting lineup:

Pasveer; Mesik, Van Hoorenbeeck, Mirani, Cestic; Scheperman, Bruns; Engels, Hrustic, Ahlstrand; Zeefuik

We say: PEC Zwolle 3-1 Heracles

Zwolle will no doubt have November’s 8-2 defeat fresh in their minds, and Sunday presents the opportunity for revenge.

While it is unlikely the hosts will return the full complement of a six-goal walloping, we expect them to claim all three points with relative ease.

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