NEC Nijmegen vs Go Ahead Eagles: A Crucial Match for a Reset
NEC Nijmegen return to the Goffertstadion on Sunday needing more than just a result. They need a reset.
Back‑to‑back defeats by an aggregate score of 8-0 have dragged Dick Schreuder’s side from early‑season optimism into a mini‑crisis, and Go Ahead Eagles – energetic, chaotic, and ruthless in transition – are hardly the ideal visitors for a team searching for defensive calm.
NEC’s high line, heavy legs
The warning signs were glaring in Leeuwarden. NEC were picked apart 3-0 by Cambuur, Ilyes Hamache striking either side of half time before Iwan Henstra twisted the knife in stoppage time. Same story, same gaps. A high defensive line, acres of space in behind, and runners not tracked.
Then came Turin.
NEC saw plenty of the ball in their 5-0 Europa League loss to Juventus, completing 497 passes at 91% accuracy. On paper, that screams control. On the pitch, it looked like sterile domination: 11 attempts, only two on target, and punished brutally whenever the back line crept too far forward.
Across those two games, the pattern barely shifted. NEC monopolised possession, pushed up, and were repeatedly exposed. When they did work the ball into promising areas, the final touch deserted them.
They have not scored in their last two outings, a drought that has coincided with doubts over the fitness of winger Clement Bischoff, one of the side’s most reliable creative sparks in the opening weeks. Take him out of the picture and the attack loses width, pace, and a direct route to goal.
Responsibility has fallen heavily on captain Tjaronn Chery. He remains NEC’s leading scorer in the league with three goals and is the man most likely to step up from the spot – NEC have already been awarded two penalties this season, more than any other Eredivisie side.
But the bigger issue sits behind him. Schreuder’s team punched above their weight to reach the Champions League qualifying rounds over the summer, and the reward has been a punishing schedule that a thin squad is struggling to carry. As September wears on, legs look heavy and concentration at the back is fraying.
Go Ahead Eagles: chaos going both ways
Go Ahead Eagles arrive in Nijmegen ninth in the table, two points better off than their hosts and unbeaten in their last two. They are not shy about how they want to play.
Joseph Oosting’s side slung 35 crosses into the box in last weekend’s 1-1 draw with Groningen, battering at the door until Soren Tengstedt finally levelled in the 82nd minute. Even then, they should have taken all three points – Stefan Sigurdarson passed up a clear late chance that would have capped the comeback.
That miss felt familiar. This is a team that floods the final third and creates chances in bunches, but doesn’t always apply the finishing touch.
The games before Groningen underline the point. A wild 3-3 draw at FC Utrecht. A 5-2 defeat at AZ Alkmaar in which their back line was repeatedly sliced open. Those came either side of a more controlled 3-1 home win over ADO Den Haag, a reminder that when the balance is right, they can manage games as well as tear them open.
Tengstedt has been the standout. Operating nominally from the right but constantly drifting into central pockets, he has become the division’s outright leading scorer with five goals and two assists. His movement across the front line drags defenders into awkward positions and opens lanes for others to attack.
Behind him, Victor Edvardsen is the link man that keeps everything stitched together. He created seven chances on his own in the draw with Groningen, dropping off the front to connect midfield and attack, then arriving late in the box when the ball is worked wide.
The flip side is obvious. Go Ahead Eagles have conceded 13 goals in six league matches. Oosting’s men rarely shut games down; they outgun opponents instead. Captain Joris Kramer anchors the back four in front of goalkeeper Kjetil Haug and has become crucial in possession, stepping out to spray passes from deep as they look to play through pressure rather than simply bypass it.
Against an NEC side that presses high and holds an aggressive line, that ability to play out could be decisive.
Team news: fitness worries and familiar cores
NEC’s selection picture is complicated by the fixture load and the treatment room.
Emre Mor remains out with a groin injury and is not expected back until mid-October. Deveron Fonville is also sidelined, nursing an ankle problem that should keep him out until early October. At the back, Ahmetcan Kaplan is a doubt with a knee issue and is being monitored day to day.
The big question surrounds Bischoff. Pre‑match reports list the winger as a fitness concern after the trip to Turin, though the club has not confirmed that officially. If he misses out, NEC lose a key outlet on the flanks and another player capable of beating a man one‑on‑one.
Schreuder is likely to lean on a familiar core, with a probable XI of:
Polster; Kabar, Storm, Sandler; Tahaui, Geiger, Nejasmic, Thomas; Chery, Tadic; Sierhuis.
Go Ahead Eagles’ situation is more stable. Oosting will again be without defender Gerrit Nauber, who continues to manage a leg injury on a day‑to‑day basis, while Pim Saathof stays out with a knee problem. Beyond that, the coach has a settled group and little reason to tinker.
Their expected lineup:
Haug; Sampsted, Dirksen, Kramer, James; Meulensteen, Linthorst; Tengstedt, Edvardsen, Suray; Sigurdarson.
Prediction: goals, gaps, and Tengstedt’s edge
Everything about these two sides points in the same direction: an open game, stretched spaces, and chances at both ends.
NEC still carry a threat. With Chery pulling strings between the lines and Dusan Tadic’s experience in advanced areas, they have enough guile to trouble a Go Ahead defence that has yet to keep a clean sheet in six league outings. Home advantage should count for something, and it would be no surprise to see one of those two on the scoresheet.
But eight goals conceded without reply in their last two matches suggests the defensive issues will not be fixed overnight. The high line that Juventus and Cambuur exploited is exactly the sort of platform Tengstedt craves, especially with Edvardsen feeding him from deeper pockets.
Go Ahead Eagles have been the more consistent finishers so far, and that sharper cutting edge could tilt a wild contest their way.
Prediction: NEC 1-2 Go Ahead Eagles.
If NEC cannot find a way to tighten up while still playing on the front foot, nights like this could start to define their season rather than just disrupt it.
