NEC Nijmegen Seeks Response Against Go Ahead Eagles

NEC Nijmegen return to the Goffertstadion on Sunday needing more than just a result. They need a response.

Two games, eight goals conceded, none scored. Dick Schreuder’s side have slipped to 10th in the Eredivisie with seven points from six matches, and the manner of their recent defeats has set alarm bells ringing as Go Ahead Eagles arrive from Deventer sitting one place and two points above them.

NEC’s high line, heavy cost

The slide started with a bruising 3-0 defeat at Cambuur. NEC saw plenty of the ball but were cut open far too easily, Ilyes Hamache striking either side of half time before Iwan Henstra added a stoppage‑time third. The scoreline was emphatic; the pattern even more worrying.

Then came Turin.

NEC tried to play their football against Juventus in the Europa League, completing 497 passes at 91% accuracy. On paper, that looks controlled. On the pitch, it turned into a 5-0 beating. Eleven attempts, only two on target, and the same story unfolding: a high defensive line repeatedly exposed, and a forward line unable to turn long spells of possession into anything truly threatening.

Across those two matches, NEC have not found the net once. That drought has coincided with a fitness question over winger Clement Bischoff, one of their more reliable creative sparks earlier in the campaign. His situation remains unclear, with concern raised after the trip to Italy but no firm confirmation from the club.

So the burden falls again on captain Tjaronn Chery. He remains NEC’s top scorer in the league with three goals and is still the side’s main reference point in the final third. The hosts have also won two penalties this season, more than any other Eredivisie team, a sign that they can still force mistakes when they do get into dangerous areas.

The issue is what happens at the other end. The Champions League qualifying run over the summer stretched a thin squad, and as September grinds on, the fixture load has started to show in tired legs and tired decisions. Schreuder’s commitment to an aggressive line and a possession-heavy style has a clear identity. Right now, it also has a clear downside.

Go Ahead Eagles: chaos, chances, and goals at both ends

Go Ahead Eagles arrive with their own quirks. Joseph Oosting’s side sit ninth on nine points, and their last two games have ended in draws that felt wildly different but told a similar story.

Against Groningen, they hammered in 35 crosses, pushed and probed, and finally got their reward in the 82nd minute when Soren Tengstedt levelled. The stadium roared; the momentum swung. Then Stefan Sigurdarson missed a clear late chance to win it, a moment that summed up a broader theme: this is a team that creates plenty but does not always kill.

Before that, they were involved in a breathless 3-3 at FC Utrecht, having previously been hit 5-2 by AZ Alkmaar, which itself came after a 3-1 home win over ADO Den Haag. Goals follow them around. So do gaps.

Tengstedt has been the standout. Five goals, two assists, the league’s outright leading scorer. Drifting in from the right into central pockets, he has repeatedly unsettled back lines, and his movement will be a major test for an NEC defence that has struggled badly with runners in behind.

Behind him, Victor Edvardsen stitched things together superbly in the draw with Groningen, creating seven chances on his own. His link play between midfield and attack has become central to how Go Ahead Eagles build pressure and sustain attacks.

The flip side is obvious. Thirteen goals conceded in six league games. Oosting’s side rarely shut anyone out and have often had to simply score more than they let in. Captain Joris Kramer anchors the back four in front of goalkeeper Kjetil Haug, and his passing from deep is now a key release valve when they look to play through the press instead of going long. When it works, they slice through teams. When it doesn’t, they are exposed.

Team news and likely lineups

NEC’s injury list has not helped Schreuder’s search for balance.

Emre Mor is sidelined with a groin injury and is not expected back until mid-October. Deveron Fonville remains out with an ankle problem until early October. Ahmetcan Kaplan is a doubt with a knee issue and will be assessed day by day. Bischoff, as noted, is also a fitness concern after the Juventus trip, though there has been no official update.

Even so, NEC should line up in familiar fashion:

NEC possible starting XI:
Polster; Kabar, Storm, Sandler; Tahaui, Geiger, Nejasmic, Thomas; Chery, Tadic; Sierhuis

For Go Ahead Eagles, Oosting’s selection picture is more settled.

Gerrit Nauber continues to manage a leg injury and is not expected to feature, while Pim Saathof remains out with a knee problem. Beyond that, the visitors have their core group available and in rhythm.

Go Ahead Eagles possible starting XI:
Haug; Sampsted, Dirksen, Kramer, James; Meulensteen, Linthorst; Tengstedt, Edvardsen, Suray; Sigurdarson

Prediction: goals, and the sharper edge in red and yellow

All signs point to an open contest. NEC still have enough going forward through Chery and Dusan Tadic to trouble a defence that has yet to keep a clean sheet in the league. The hosts’ penalty record and the creativity of their senior attackers suggest they will not stay goalless for a third straight game, especially at the Goffertstadion.

But conceding eight without reply in two matches is not a blip; it is a trend. Fixing that in the space of a few days looks a huge ask against a side with Tengstedt in this kind of form and Edvardsen feeding him chances.

Go Ahead Eagles are unlikely to shut the door. They rarely do. What they do have is a more ruthless cutting edge right now.

Prediction: NEC 1-2 Go Ahead Eagles

If that proves accurate, NEC’s season suddenly starts to look very different. Do they double down on their style, or does Schreuder blink first and pull that high line back?