NEC Nijmegen v Fortuna Sittard: top-three charge meets mid-table climb | OneFootball

NEC Nijmegen host Fortuna Sittard in the Eredivisie at Goffertstadion on Saturday, 28 February 2026, with the hosts defending third place and Champions League qualification hopes, and the visitors looking to build momentum in mid-table.

NEC Nijmegen have been prolific this season with 59 league goals and a 57% share of the ball, and recent head-to-heads in Nijmegen have brought goals too. The last two home league meetings ended 4-1 to the hosts, though Fortuna Sittard edged the reverse fixture 3-2 in August 2025.

Form points to a tight contest. NEC Nijmegen followed a 4-1 home win over Heracles and a 3-1 success at AZ with draws at Sparta Rotterdam and Ajax, losing only to Utrecht in their last five. Fortuna Sittard beat Excelsior last time out after a draw with Sparta and defeats at Heracles and Ajax, having also won at Groningen in January.

Team news matters. NEC Nijmegen list goalkeeper Freek Entius as sidelined. Fortuna Sittard are without Daley Sinkgraven, Mattijs Branderhorst, Justin Lonwijk, Ramazan Bayram and Luka Tunjić.

On the pitch, NEC Nijmegen's control (2.5 goals per game, 79.59% pass accuracy) and high crossing volume could be decisive, backed by 10 headed goals. Koki Ogawa leads their league tally with eight, while Tjaronn Chery and Bryan Linssen add threat and Basar Önal has six assists. Fortuna Sittard tend to play with less of the ball at 45% possession but deliver plenty of crosses. Kaj Sierhuis is their main outlet with nine league goals, supported by Mohammed Ihattaren's creativity and Ivo Pinto's deliveries.

NEC Nijmegen could tighten their grip on third and the Champions League qualification places. A positive result for Fortuna Sittard would pull them closer to the top half and the qualification play-off picture.