NEC Nijmegen vs Feyenoord

NEC Nijmegen host Feyenoord at the Goffertstadion on Saturday afternoon in Eredivisie round five, but the visitors will step out in Nijmegen without any of their travelling supporters. The club banned its own fans for two away matches after serious fireworks incidents at Cambuur Leeuwarden, meaning the Goffertstadion will have a conspicuously empty away section.

Feyenoord’s away fan ban

Seven home supporters were injured when Feyenoord fans set off numerous flares and threw fireworks during the Eredivisie clash at Cambuur on 23 August. The match was halted for 20 minutes, and the fallout prompted Feyenoord to self-impose a ban on away ticket sales for the trips to NEC Nijmegen and PEC Zwolle. “The club management has decided to do this following the much-discussed and completely unacceptable fireworks incident in Leeuwarden,” the club said in a statement.

Nijmegen mayor Hubert Bruls had already warned that Feyenoord supporters would be barred from the Goffertstadion if those responsible were not arrested. Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side will therefore play on foreign soil with only the noise of the home crowd to contend with.

NEC team news and injury latest

Dick Schreuder’s side bounced back from their Champions League elimination at the hands of FK Bodø/Glimt with a convincing 4-1 win at Willem II last time out. Adam Tahaui, Tjaronn Chery, Bryan Linssen and Kaj Sierhuis all got on the scoresheet, and that attacking quartet will be relied upon again.

NEC were without a host of players for that match, and little has changed for the visit of Feyenoord. Philippe Sandler, Sami Ouaissa (hamstring), Yassin Moslih, Ahmetcan Kaplan (knee) and Perr Schuurs (knee) were all sidelined. Schuurs – the former Torino defender – is nearing a return after almost three years of injury misery, but the 26-year-old is unlikely to be thrown straight into the starting XI. Dusan Tadic and Linssen will carry the creative burden in the final third.

Feyenoord form guide

Feyenoord sit near the top of the early Eredivisie standings and arrive in Nijmegen on the back of a 5-2 victory at Cambuur – the same chaotic afternoon that triggered the away fan ban. Van Bronckhorst’s men have shown an ability to score freely on the road, but the unique atmosphere of a Goffertstadion without their own supporters will test their focus.

Where the match could be decided

The absence of the Feyenoord away end removes a layer of backing that the Rotterdam side often feeds off. NEC’s home form was patchy last season, but a sold-out stadium packed with only home fans could give them an extra edge. Schreuder’s attack, led by Linssen and Tadic, will look to exploit any early uncertainty in the Feyenoord backline, while the visitors must find a way to impose themselves without the usual vocal support.

NEC face a Europa League group campaign that includes Benfica, Stade Rennes, Omonia Nicosia and Levski Sofia at home – a fixture list that will demand squad depth – while Feyenoord aim to keep pace with the early Eredivisie frontrunners.