Heerenveen vs NEC Nijmegen Prediction

Recent league form

Across their last 20 matches in all competitions, Heerenveen have won nine, drawn six and lost five, scoring 43 goals along the way. Their most recent Eredivisie run is choppier though: a routine 1-0 home win over Twente, a couple of draws, home defeats to PEC Zwolle and AZ Alkmaar, and then a thumping 4-0 win away at Sparta Rotterdam.

Heerenveen: 20 completed matches; NEC Nijmegen: 20 completed matches.

Heerenveen

20 matches

Win

45% 9 / 20

Draw

30% 6 / 20

Loss

25% 5 / 20

Scored

43

Conceded

31

Difference

+12

NEC Nijmegen

20 matches

Win

30% 6 / 20

Draw

20% 4 / 20

Loss

50% 10 / 20

Scored

33

Conceded

37

Difference

-4

NEC's picture is similar in shape but different in detail. In their last seven league games they've won twice, drawn twice and lost three, and oddly both wins came on the road, at PEC Zwolle and Willem II. At home they've lost to both Feyenoord and Telstar. They've also been juggling European football, including a heavy 5-0 defeat at Juventus, which may or may not have taken something out of their domestic performances.

NEC's away form has actually been stronger than their home form this season, which stands out given they're on the road here.

Comparative Team Statistics: Heerenveen vs NEC Nijmegen

Head-to-head record

These two have met 20 times since 2011 and it's been a fairly even series over the years. The most recent meeting, back in March 2026, finished 2-2 at NEC. Before that Heerenveen won the previous two league meetings, 1-0 and 3-2, but NEC have also had spells of dominance in this fixture, including a 3-0 win in 2024.

Where they stand

After seven games apiece, Heerenveen sit 10th with nine points and NEC are 11th with eight. There's barely anything between them on paper. Each side has two wins so far, and the goal difference is tight too.

Players to watch

Heerenveen's L. Smans has three assists in just five appearances, a useful creative return. For NEC, T. Chery has two assists in six games, while N. Lebreton has already picked up two yellow cards in seven matches, worth keeping in mind for discipline.

Heerenveen:

Best assist providers:

L. Smans - 3

NEC Nijmegen:

Best assist providers:

T. Chery - 2

Penalty cards:

N. Lebreton x 2

How this one could play out

Put the pieces together and this looks like a tight contest between two sides level on form and level in the table. Heerenveen's home results this term have swung between wins and losses in fairly equal measure, and NEC have shown they can score goals away from home even when their overall domestic results haven't gone their way. Neither side has established a clear pattern of dominance in this fixture historically either.