Matchday 18 of the 2023-24 Eredivisie season sees NEC and FC Twente face off against each other at Stadion de Goffert on Saturday afternoon.
The hosts picked up their sixth win in seven games last time out, while their visitors saw their six-game unbeaten run across all competitions come to an end.
Match preview
NEC secured safe passage into the quarter-final of the KNVB-Beker thanks to a 2-1 victory over Go Ahead Eagles when the teams clashed in Nijmegen on Thursday.
Rogier Meijer's men took the lead 10 minutes shy of the break through Koki Ogawa after which Sai Van Wermeskerken sealed the deal 18 minutes from time, rendering Robin Roefs's own goal inconsequential.
This was preceded by a 2-2 stalemate against defending champions Feyenoord, which saw the Eniesee drop down to eighth place in the Eredivisie table.
Up next is the challenge of an opposing outfit who are without defeat in the last four editions of this fixture, picking up three wins and one draw.
Currently on a run of three straight wins and unbeaten in seven of their last eight on home turf, Saturday's hosts have been a force to reckon with in front of their fans lately.
FC Twente were knocked out of the KNVB-Beker by PSV Eindhoven following a 3-1 defeat in Wednesday's last-16 encounter at the Philips Stadion.
Goals from Yorbe Vertessen, Luuk de Jong and Johan Bakayoko left Joseph Oosting's men with a mountain to climb before Manfred Ugalde pulled one back midway through the second period.
With 37 points picked up from 17 league matches this term, the Tukkers sit third in the standings, two points behind Feyenoord in second place.
Having recently seen their seven-game unbeaten away run end, Saturday's visitors now set out to avoid back to back defeats on the road for the first time since February.
Team News
Bas Dost is a guaranteed absentee for NEC Nijmegen here as he prepares to sit out a seventh game on the bounce due to a heart problem.
The hosts will also be without the services of Brayann Pereira and Kas de Wit, although the latter is not far off a return to action.
Manfred Ugalde boasts five goals from his last seven matches and will be looking to come up with the goods for FC Twente once again.
Twenty-four-year-old Michal Sadilek will be expected to retain a starting spot having made his return to action from a one-game suspension last time out.
NEC possible starting lineup:
Roefs; Verdonk, Nuytinck, Sandler, Wermeskerken; Hoedemakers, Mattsson, Proper; Hansen, Ogawa, Sano
FC Twente possible starting lineup:
Unnerstall; Smal, Eiting, Propper, Bruns, Brenet; Van Wolfswinkel, Vlap, Sadilek, Regeer; Ugalde
We say: NEC 1-2 FC Twente
FC Twente's dominance of this fixture makes them huge favourites to come away with maximum points here, and while we expect NEC to put a good fight, we can see the away side just about doing enough to get the job done.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Adepoju Marvellous
