Heerenveen vs Nijmegen – News and Probable Lineups

In Round 11 of the 2026-27 Eredivisie campaign, Heerenveen will lock horns with NEC at the Abe Lenstra Stadion on Saturday.

The home side is looking to achieve a fourth straight win to continue their upward trajectory, whereas the away team, despite enjoying a six-match unbeaten streak, is still in search of their first league victory since August.

Match overview

Heerenveen’s 1-0 victory over FC Twente in the opening week was among their standout performances. However, a poor run of just one win in their following seven matches, earning only six points from a potential 21, significantly affected team morale.

A commanding victory can uplift spirits, and Robin Veldman’s squad provided just that with a 4-0 triumph against SBV Excelsior in their second match after the international break. This impressive result initiated a three-match winning streak, which they extended with a midweek cup victory over Excelsior Maassluis.

It has been since September 2017 that De Superfriezen achieved four consecutive wins in competitive fixtures. This weekend presents a significant chance to break that streak, facing a team that has not won in their last three encounters and has lost their previous two visits to the Abe Lenstra Stadion.

Heerenveen has only averaged 1.4 goals per home league game this season and will aim to enhance their attacking efforts. Conversely, their defensive performance has been strong, maintaining three clean sheets in five home matches, including the last two.

With a fixture against Feyenoord following Saturday’s encounter with NEC, Heerenveen is gearing up for consecutive matches against Dutch teams competing in Europe—a preliminary assessment of their readiness to contend for continental qualification after a 16-year hiatus.

NEC appears to have struggled with the additional pressures of Europa League commitment for the first time, having finished third last season while averaging more than two goals per match.

While Dick Schreuder’s team has stabilized after a stretch of five defeats in seven matches between August 19 and September 17—remaining unbeaten since—they have managed just one win in their subsequent six fixtures, which occurred against Dinamo Zagreb.

The 2-2 draw with Groningen on Sunday was commendable under the circumstances yet extended NEC’s winless league streak to seven matches. During this period, they have obtained only five points, dropping from seventh to twelfth in the standings.

Schreuder, who still enjoys considerable support from last season’s achievements, will be keen to reverse the trend in the trio of matches before the international break in November.

This Saturday’s visitors have conceded 10 of their 18 goals prior to half-time and have gone behind first in four of their last five matches. Their upcoming clash against a Heerenveen side that has opened the scoring in four of their past five games will be a substantial test of NEC’s vulnerabilities in the early stages of matches.

Team News

Midfielder Levi Smans is unavailable for Heerenveen’s last two matches and is unlikely to make an appearance this weekend.

Having put in an outstanding performance in midweek, Jacob Trenskow now boasts five goals and two assists in his last five appearances, making him a player to keep an eye on.

NEC’s Philippe Sandler is ruled out of Saturday’s match due to injury, alongside Dutch defenders Bram Nuytinck (ankle) and Yassin Moslih.

Further up the pitch, Dusan Tadic (calf) and Emre Mor (groin) will also be absent for the visitors, while Ayodele Thomas returns to contention.

Tjarron Chery has found the net in his last two away matches, and the 38-year-old, who scored twice in March’s game against Heerenveen, will be aiming to deliver once more.

Heerenveen probable starting XI:

Clover Jack; Braude, Kersten, Willemsen, Zagaritis; Linday, Courtens; Trenskow, Meerveld, Rivera; Vente

NEC probable starting XI:

Crettaz; Fonville, Kaplan, Schuurs; Bischoff, Monteiro, Nejasmic, Cherry; Lebreton, Chery, Linssen

Last season, NEC made a strong impression with their attacking prowess, and while that threat has diminished, we still anticipate them to score against Heerenveen.

However, we are predicting that the home side will take maximum points and extend their winning streak.