Preview: PEC Zwolle vs. NEC - prediction, team news, lineups

Free-scoring NEC travel to PEC Zwolle on Saturday, aiming to maintain their strong start in the Eredivisie at MAC³PARK Stadion.

The visitors go to Zwolle unbeaten in three matches ahead of the gameweek 10 fixture, while their hosts have been winless in seven top-flight matches since mid-August.

Match preview

Zwolle started the season with consecutive wins against FC Twente and FC Telstar, but that triumphant streak has been followed by nothing but disappointment.

Since keeping back-to-back clean sheets at the start of the 2025-26 season, Henry van der Vegt’s team have lost five games and drawn two, leaving them at the bottom of the table over the past seven rounds.

Zwolle's six goals are the fewest scored during that period, while their 17 goals conceded are just two shy of Heracles' 19, highlighting their struggles at both ends ahead of Saturday's match against their sixth-placed visitors.

Although they secured a 2-2 draw last weekend away at NAC Breda, their ongoing failure to score in front of their supporters in three consecutive games — losing to FC Utrecht (2-0), Go Ahead Eagles (2-0) and PSV Eindhoven (4-0) — further accentuates their attacking issues.

Having not defeated NEC since December 2017, Zwolle's uphill challenge this weekend is emphasised as they aim to avoid falling into the dreaded bottom two.

Their Nijmegen visitors travel to the Overijssel province aware of the poor form of Van der Vegt's team, who sit on eight points in 15th place, just above the promoted pair of Telstar and FC Volendam in 16th and 17th, respectively.

While Dick Schreuder’s team have failed to secure an away win since their very first fixture on the road this season — scoring four at bottom-placed Heracles — NEC have only scored five times away since.

Two of the following three away matches have ended in defeats, albeit narrow 3-2 losses at Fortuna Sittard and Heerenveen, before finishing with a 1-1 draw against Go Ahead Eagles in early October.

Aiming to end their three-match away run, Schreuder’s side hope to break a streak of consecutive draws in the league, seeking to improve on a broader run of just one win in the last five matches.

The Nijmegen-based club's attacking style is typically offset by their tendency to be leaky at the back, as shown by their 25 goals scored — second only to PSV (27) — and 17 conceded — only Telstar (18), Sparta Rotterdam (22) and Heracles (27) have allowed more.

That promises some entertainment but also suggests results could be unpredictable; yet, with Zwolle having scored just nine goals, NEC should outscore their hosts if their attacking form continues.

PEC Zwolle Eredivisie form:

NEC Eredivisie form:

Team News

While Zwolle's doctors will assess Damian van der Haar's condition before Saturday, Odysseus Velanas (ankle), Jasper Schendelaar (knee injury) and Zico Buurmeester (ankle) are likely to miss out.

Koen Kostons has scored five of the home team's nine league goals, while assisting two, bringing him to seven contributions for Van der Vegt’s team, underlining his undeniable importance.

Kaj de Rooij has also contributed for the Zwolle-based outfit, accumulating four goal involvements ahead of this weekend's contest.

Absent for NEC are Bram Nuytinck and Jetro Willems, both missing due to knee injuries that are expected to sideline them for some time.

All three of Koki Ogawa, Tjaronn Chery and Bryan Linssen have scored three league goals, demonstrating a healthy spread for the free-scoring visitors, who have five players with two each.

Linssen, however, has assisted four goals, bringing his total to a team-high seven, and the forward aims to be decisive again in gameweek 10.

PEC Zwolle possible starting lineup:

De Graaff; Aertssen, Graves, MacNulty, Floranus; Oosting, Thomas, Monteiro; Faberski, Kostons, De Rooij

NEC possible starting lineup:

Crettaz; Pereira, Kaplan, Ouwejan; Nejasmic; Ouaussa, Sano, Chery, Misidjan; Ogawa, Linssen

We say: PEC Zwolle 1-3 NEC

The tendency for NEC to be defensively weak suggests Zwolle will score on home soil after a three-match drought in front of their fans.

However, the second-highest scorers in the Eredivisie should outscore Blauwvingers on Saturday to get back to winning ways away from home and extend their overall unbeaten run to four games.

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