Willem II vs Nijmegen – News and Probable Lineups

Willem II and NEC both seek their first points of the 2026-27 Eredivisie season as they meet at Koning Willem II Stadion on Saturday. Neither team was able to claim victory on the opening matchday.

After suffering a disappointing home defeat to Telstar, the Nijmegen side has bounced back, advancing into the Champions League qualifying play-offs, which gives them a morale boost ahead of their trip to Tilburg.

Match overview

Having returned to the Eredivisie after a year away, Willem II had a challenging start, facing Go Ahead Eagles on the road and losing 4-1.

The match had initially appeared to be in Willem II’s favor when they took the lead in the 13th minute thanks to Devin Haen, only to be equalized by Soren Tengstedt shortly thereafter, and they conceded three additional goals in the second half.

This experience served as a wake-up call for last season’s playoff winners, revealing the challenges they will face in the top flight, and they will be eager to enjoy the comforts of home on Saturday.

Indeed, the atmosphere in Tilburg is expected to be electric as the Super Pitchers play their first home game back in the top division after two years, buoyed by the memory of their three-match winning streak at home to end the regular season.

This should provide a significant boost for John Stegeman’s team, particularly given that they secured a convincing 4-1 victory over NEC in their last meeting at this venue during the 2024-25 season and will be keen to maintain their two-match unbeaten run against this opponent.

That ambition will, however, be met with considerable challenge as Dick Schreuder’s NEC is a much stronger side compared to the one that lost four goals in Tilburg two years ago.

This NEC team has shown themselves to be prolific scorers with aspirations for Champions League football, having taken a significant stride towards their first appearance in the league phase after a 2-1 victory over Olympiacos on Tuesday.

The summer signing Emre Mor emerged as the hero against the Greek giants, ensuring their participation in either the Champions League—if they can overcome their upcoming tie against Bodo/Glimt—or the Europa League if they fail.

This midweek win also brought a much-needed positive energy to a squad that had previously endured a disappointing 2-1 defeat to Telstar last weekend, marking their fourth consecutive match without a victory.

Now that they’ve finally ended this streak, NEC will look to achieve back-to-back wins in competitive fixtures for the first time since March, when they claimed two 3-2 wins against PSV Eindhoven in both league and cup, as well as a decisive 3-0 victory over FC Volendam.

Nonetheless, the team must tread carefully and not focus too much on their future clash with Bodo/Glimt, as doing so might distract them from their focus on Tilburg this weekend; this is something the promoted side will undoubtedly hope for.

Team News

Assessments will be made regarding Thomas Didillon-Hodl’s hamstring issue, while Hidde ter Avest, Jari Schuurman, Amine Lachkar (groin), Anass Zarrouk, and Armin Culum (foot) are likely to miss out on Saturday.

Even though the Superkruiken suffered defeat in their league opener, Haen nearly continued his impressive form from last season—where he scored 18 league goals in the Eerste Divisie—and is looking to find the net in successive top-flight outings.

Dusan Tadic has already made a noticeable impact at NEC, having scored against Olympiacos, and is expected to keep his place in the starting XI this weekend.

Other experienced players such as Tjaronn Chery and Bryan Linssen are also capable of turning matches, and the addition of summer signing Kaj Sierhuis—who netted 12 league goals for Fortuna Sittard in 2025-26—has further bolstered NEC’s attacking options.

However, Koki Ogawa, Perr Schuurs, and Yassin Moslih will be absent for this match, while Sami Ouaissa and Philippe Sandler will be evaluated after their early exits in the third qualifying round win over Olympiacos.

Willem II probable starting XI:

Van der Steen; Van Loon, Stam, Hoogma, Tjoe-A-On; Gurbuz, Ciranni, Boogaard, Slory; Haen, Van Aalst

NEC probable starting XI:

Crettaz; Storm, Pereira, Fonville; Nejasmic; Mor, Monteiro, Lebreton, Bischoff; Chery, Sierhuis

With the home side eager to bounce back in front of a lively crowd, they will face a completely different tactical challenge against a determined NEC team with ambitions to reach the Champions League.

Despite possibly feeling weary after their midweek efforts, Schreuder’s side’s impressive attacking capabilities should help them secure a hard-fought draw on Saturday.