NEC Nijmegen host Rennes in the UEFA Europa League. Both clubs have had a stop-start season so far, with wins, draws and losses coming in fairly even numbers across all competitions in recent weeks.
After two games in this season's league phase, the Dutch side sit down in 27th while the French side are up in 13th, though that's a tiny sample to draw too much from. There's a month until kickoff, so things could shift a fair bit before these two actually meet in Nijmegen.
Analysis updated .
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Mixed form away from the table
Rennes have picked up eight wins, four draws and eight losses in their last 20 matches across all competitions, scoring and conceding 36 goals apiece. That's a side that can find the net but also leaks plenty at the other end, with recent scorelines like 4-1, 4-0 and 4-3 showing their games tend to be open.
NEC Nijmegen: 20 completed matches; Rennes: 20 completed matches.
NEC Nijmegen
- Win
- 25% 5 / 20
- Draw
- 35% 7 / 20
- Loss
- 40% 8 / 20
- Scored
- 33
- Conceded
- 36
- Difference
- -3
Rennes
- Win
- 40% 8 / 20
- Draw
- 20% 4 / 20
- Loss
- 40% 8 / 20
- Scored
- 36
- Conceded
- 36
- Difference
- 0
| League | Home | Away | Date | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eredivisie | NEC Nijmegen | Groningen | 25.10.2026 | 2-2 |
| UEFA Europa League | Dinamo Zagreb | NEC Nijmegen | 22.10.2026 | 2-4 |
| Eredivisie | NEC Nijmegen | Fortuna Sittard | 18.10.2026 | 2-2 |
| UEFA Europa League | NEC Nijmegen | Levski Sofia | 15.10.2026 | 1-1 |
| Eredivisie | Ajax | NEC Nijmegen | 10.10.2026 | 1-1 |
| Eredivisie | NEC Nijmegen | GO Ahead Eagles | 20.09.2026 | 1-1 |
| UEFA Europa League | Juventus | NEC Nijmegen | 17.09.2026 | 5-0 |
| Eredivisie | Cambuur | NEC Nijmegen | 12.09.2026 | 3-0 |
| Eredivisie | NEC Nijmegen | Excelsior | 08.09.2026 | 2-2 |
| Eredivisie | NEC Nijmegen | Feyenoord | 05.09.2026 | 1-3 |
| League | Home | Away | Date | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ligue 1 | Rennes | Strasbourg | 25.10.2026 | 3-0 |
| UEFA Europa League | Juventus | Rennes | 22.10.2026 | 2-2 |
| Ligue 1 | Paris FC | Rennes | 18.10.2026 | 4-3 |
| UEFA Europa League | Rennes | OFI | 15.10.2026 | 2-1 |
| Ligue 1 | Rennes | Auxerre | 11.10.2026 | 4-1 |
| Friendlies Clubs | Laval | Rennes | 02.10.2026 | 1-0 |
| Ligue 1 | Lyon | Rennes | 19.09.2026 | 4-0 |
| UEFA Europa League | Sturm Graz | Rennes | 16.09.2026 | 0-0 |
| Ligue 1 | Rennes | Marseille | 11.09.2026 | 1-0 |
| Ligue 1 | Angers | Rennes | 06.09.2026 | 1-2 |
NEC Nijmegen's record over the same number of matches reads five wins, seven draws and eight losses, with 33 scored and 36 conceded. Draws keep cropping up for the Dutch side, including several 1-1 and 2-2 results in their last five outings, which points to tight, low-margin games rather than one-sided ones.
Both sides have shown they can be got at, which hints at goals whenever they meet.
Comparative Team Statistics: NEC Nijmegen vs Rennes
Early days in the league phase
The table here covers just two matches apiece in this season's Europa League league phase. Rennes have four points from those two games and sit 13th, while NEC Nijmegen have just one point and are down in 27th after conceding six goals in two outings.
| № | Team | Played | Win | Draw | Loss | GF/GA | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | Union St. Gilloise | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4/1 | 4 |
| 13 | Rennes | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2/1 | 4 |
| 14 | Dinamo Zagreb | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1/0 | 4 |
| 26 | Sturm Graz | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0/3 | 1 |
| 27 | NEC Nijmegen | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1/6 | 1 |
| 28 | Celta Vigo | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1/3 | 0 |
That's a small sample within a much bigger league phase, so these positions shouldn't be treated as a reliable read on either side's European quality just yet.
What this fixture might look like
With a month between this snapshot of form and the actual kickoff, neither side's current shape is guaranteed to carry over to matchday in Nijmegen. Injuries, rotation and a run of fixtures in between could easily change things.
What we can say is that both teams have shown a tendency to concede regularly and to be involved in games with goals at both ends. If that pattern holds up, a tight, open contest looks more likely than a one-sided scoreline.
Squad lists and player details
Squad and player details
| Name | Country | Age | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M. Bakker | Netherlands | 26 | Defender | 185 | 85 |
| P. Schuurs | Netherlands | 26 | Defender | 191 | 80 |
| D. Tadić | Serbia | 37 | Attacker | 181 | 76 |
| P. Sandler | Netherlands | 29 | Defender | 190 | 82 |
| D. Geiger | Germany | 28 | Midfielder | 173 | 67 |
| W. Willumsson | Iceland | 28 | Midfielder | 193 | 84 |
| D. Nejašmić | Croatia | 27 | Midfielder | 183 | 74 |
| B. Nuytinck | Netherlands | 36 | Defender | 191 | 80 |
| T. Ouwejan | Netherlands | 30 | Defender | 178 | 72 |
| V. van Crooij | Netherlands | 30 | Midfielder | 179 | 76 |
| B. Linssen | Netherlands | 36 | Attacker | 170 | 64 |
| K. Sierhuis | Netherlands | 28 | Attacker | 180 | 83 |
| E. Mor | Türkiye | 29 | Attacker | 169 cm | 64 kg |
| T. Chery | Suriname | 38 | Attacker | 170 | 68 |
| Jamiro Monteiro | Cape Verde | 32 | Midfielder | 172 | 63 |
| G. Crettaz | Argentina | 26 | Goalkeeper | 184 | 78 |
| N. Polster | Austria | 24 | Goalkeeper | 187 | 82 |
| I. Hansen-Aarøen | Norway | 22 | Midfielder | 173 | 67 |
| B. Pereira | France | 23 | Defender | 172 | 60 |
| A. Kaplan | Türkiye | 23 | Defender | 189 | 72 |
| N. Lebreton | France | 22 | Midfielder | 178 | 70 |
| T. Storm | Denmark | 22 | Defender | 176 | n/a |
| Gabriel Brás | Portugal | 22 | Defender | 183 cm | 77 kg |
| Deveron Fonville | Netherlands | 23 | Defender | ||
| S. Ouaissa | Netherlands | 22 | Midfielder | 170 | 68 |
| Almugera Raouf Mohammed Kabar | Germany | 20 | Defender | 186 | 78 |
| Clement Bischoff | Denmark | 20 | Midfielder | 180 | 75 |
| A. Thomas | Netherlands | 19 | Midfielder | 188 cm | n/a |
| Adam Tahaui | Netherlands | 21 | Attacker | 171 cm | n/a |
| Joep Geneste | Netherlands | 19 | Goalkeeper | 192 cm | 74 kg |
| Freek Entius | Netherlands | 20 | Goalkeeper | ||
| Y. Moslih | Netherlands | 19 | Defender | n/a | n/a |
| M. van de Wiel | n/a | n/a | Midfielder | n/a | n/a |
| Kevin Kers | Netherlands | 20 | Attacker | n/a | n/a |
| Name | Country | Age | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P. Frankowski | Poland | 31 | Midfielder | 175 | 70 |
| Mousa Tamari | Jordan | 29 | Attacker | 175 | 72 |
| V. Rongier | France | 31 | Midfielder | 172 | 67 |
| L. Blas | France | 28 | Attacker | 180 | 70 |
| B. Samba | France | 32 | Goalkeeper | 187 | 90 |
| N. Lemaître | France | 29 | Goalkeeper | 189 | 83 |
| B. Dia | Senegal | 29 | Attacker | 180 | 75 |
| A. Nordin | France | 28 | Attacker | 170 | 70 |
| A. Thomasson | France | 32 | Midfielder | 175 | 72 |
| M. Camara | France | 28 | Midfielder | 178 | 73 |
| S. Szymański | Poland | 27 | Midfielder | 174 | 60 |
| B. Reynolds | USA | 25 | Defender | 185 | 77 |
| A. Rouault | France | 25 | Defender | 186 | 77 |
| I. Soumaré | Senegal | 26 | Attacker | 182 | 78 |
| E. Lepaul | France | 26 | Attacker | 177 | 71 |
| A. Seidu | Ghana | 26 | Defender | 173 | 68 |
| Q. Merlin | France | 24 | Defender | 174 | 68 |
| C. Cresswell | England | 24 | Defender | 187 | 74 |
| D. Cissé | France | 22 | Midfielder | 188 | 73 |
| Eliezer Mayenda | Spain | 21 | Attacker | 180 | 75 |
| Gonçalo Oliveira | Portugal | 20 | Defender | 184 | 75 |
| A. Ait Boudlal | Morocco | 20 | Defender | 190 | 78 |
| M. Nagida | Cameroon | 21 | Defender | 176 | 63 |
| H. Do Marcolino | France | 20 | Attacker | 179 | 63 |
| Kilian Belazzoug | n/a | n/a | Goalkeeper | n/a | n/a |
| Elias Legendre Quiñonez | n/a | n/a | Attacker | n/a | n/a |
Both NEC Nijmegen and Rennes have shown they can concede regularly and get drawn into open, back-and-forth matches, but neither has shown the kind of consistency that makes backing a particular outcome feel safe right now.
With kickoff still a month away and no market currently available to assess, we're happy to sit this one out rather than force a pick.
Who will win?
