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

Aiming to claim their first victory over NEC Nijmegen since 2017, PEC Zwolle welcome NEC to MAC³PARK Stadion in Saturday's matchday four fixture.

While the Nijmegen outfit have not lost to their hosts in nine matches, the Zwolle-based side seek to take advantage of last week's Eredivisie victory as well as NEC's European exertions to snap their winless run in this fixture.

Match preview

Wins in the Eredivisie have been few and far between for Blauwvingers, whose 2-0 success over Heerenveen last weekend snapped a five-match losing run, but Henry van der Vegt's team celebrated last time out.

Nick Viergever and Koen Kostons scored second-half goals for the visitors to end Bluefingers' year-long wait for an away victory in the Dutch top flight.

Not since August 2025's win at now-relegated Telstar had the Zwolle-based outfit claimed maximum points on the road in the Eredivisie, but they finally gave their travelling supporters reason to cheer.

Entering this weekend on the back of that rare success, Van der Vegt's troops now seek to secure consecutive Eredivisie victories for the first time in a year, when they claimed four successive wins.

Their inability to reel off wins on the trot with any real consistency is a glaring weakness in Zwolle, and one that poses an uphill challenge against a team they seldom fare well against.

Nonetheless, the home support will believe that their team are playing NEC at the right time, having seen Dick Schreuder's men disappointingly fail to make the draw for the 2026-27 Champions League season.

Although they will make their European debut in the Europa League, the Nijmegen side dreamt of a historic main-draw appearance in the continent's premier club competition.

While they faced an uphill battle following a 3-1 defeat to Bodo/Glimt at home, Gonzalo Crettaz getting sent off after three minutes in Bodo left the Nijmegen outfit needing a miracle with 10 men to advance.

Having had their gameweek three encounter against SBV Excelsior postponed to allow adequate preparation for their testing trip to Norway, Schreuder's team could not even give themselves a chance to mount a comeback, instead letting in three more goals to lose 6-1 on aggregate.

Now, the Nijmegen outfit must pick themselves up for the weekend as they resume their bread-and-butter competition in the Eredivisie.

PEC Zwolle Eredivisie form:

NEC Eredivisie form:

NEC form (all competitions):

Team News

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Jan Burger (knock) will be assessed before Saturday, but Younes Namli is sidelined for PEC due to a knee injury.

Kostons's goal last time out was the forward's first in the league since March, and Blauwvingers' leading marksman seeks to strike in back-to-back games for the first time since December 2025.

Having netted at the wrong end against FC Twente, Dylan Mbayo set up both goals in the success over Heerenveen, and the right winger aims to be as decisive this weekend.

NEC are without a host of players: Philippe Sandler, Sami Ouaissa (hamstring), Yassin Moslih, Ahmetcan Kaplan (knee) and Perr Schuurs (knee) are all sidelined.

The visitors' much-praised attack could not sparkle in Bodo, but Dusan Tadic, Bryan Linssen, Tjaronn Chery and wing-back Clement Bischoff remain possible match-winners for Schreuder's team.

PEC Zwolle possible starting lineup:

Schendelaar; Aertssen, Graves, Viergever, Van der Haar; Thomas, Sommer; Mbayo, Oosting, Sorensen; Kostons

NEC possible starting lineup:

Crettaz; Pereira, Storm, Fonville; Tahaui, Nejasmic, Lebreton, Bischoff; Linssen

We say: PEC Zwolle 1-1 NEC

While Blauwvingers will be desperate to maintain momentum following their rare away success, overcoming a nine-match winless sequence against NEC represents a difficult psychological hurdle.

Schreuder's men may be nursing bruised egos after their Champions League exit, but their experienced forward line has enough quality to grind out a share of the spoils.

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