NEC Nijmegen v Feyenoord: second place on the line as hosts surge and visitors look to steady | OneFootball

NEC Nijmegen host Feyenoord in the Eredivisie at Goffertstadion on Sunday, 12 April 2026, with second playing third and a chance for the hosts to leapfrog their rivals in the race for Champions League places.

Feyenoord have had the edge in recent meetings, winning 4-2 in November. They also edged a 1-0 KNVB Beker final in April 2024, underlining how fine the margins have been in this match-up.

Form points to momentum for NEC Nijmegen. They have won four of their last five league games and most recently won 2-0 at Excelsior, a run that also featured a 3-2 victory away at PSV. Feyenoord, by contrast, have one win in five league matches, drawing at Volendam and against Ajax, with defeat at FC Twente in that sequence.

Availability could weigh on the visitors. NEC Nijmegen list only goalkeeper Freek Entius as out, while Feyenoord are without a lengthy group that includes Gernot Trauner, Bart Nieuwkoop, Hwang In-beom, Sem Steijn and Gijs Smal, affecting both defence and midfield options.

Routes to goal look clear. NEC Nijmegen average 2.4 goals per game with 56% possession this season, while Feyenoord bring nine clean sheets and 83.02% pass completion. Ayase Ueda leads the league with 22 goals, and supply from Jordan Bos and Mats Deijl has yielded seven and five assists respectively. For the hosts, Bryan Linssen's 10 league goals and Koki Ogawa's eight offer threat.

A home win would move NEC Nijmegen to 56 points and could take them into second. Feyenoord would climb to 57 with victory, strengthening their hold on the automatic Champions League spot. A draw would keep the pack tight behind PSV.