FC Utrecht host NEC Nijmegen at Stadion Galgenwaard in their Gameweek 12 Eredivisie fixture on Sunday.

After 11 games each, 13th-placed Utrecht lead 14th-placed NEC by a single point, 12 to 11, and between them the two sides have conceded 50 goals.

Match preview

Anthony Correia took over from the retired Ron Jans in July, and his side have won three, drawn three and lost five of their 11 league games, scoring 19 goals and conceding 31, an average of 2.82 against per game.

The Cathedral Citizens trailed 3-1 at half time at Telstar on Sunday, November 1, after Sergio Padt fumbled a shot that let Tyrone Owusu score in the eighth minute, and Abdelnour Soualhia and Nokkvi Thorisson added goals in the 25th and 44th minutes.

Siebe Horemans and Arthur Zagre made way for Angel Alarcon and Per Kloosterboer after 37 minutes, Alarcon headed in a Marius Broholm cross for 2-1 and Yoann Cathline made it 3-2 in the 46th minute, but Ar’Jany Martha sealed a 4-2 defeat on the counter-attack in the 59th minute.

Matisse Didden said Correia was furious in the dressing room at half time, and the head coach admitted that the flat second half of the 1-0 KNVB Cup win at Kozakken Boys on Thursday, October 29, had carried over into the Telstar game.

Home form is the stronger argument for Utrecht, who are unbeaten in three games at Stadion Galgenwaard, including a 3-1 win over Willem II on October 11 and a 1-1 draw with PEC Zwolle on October 24 that Sem van Duijn rescued in stoppage time.

Artem Stepanov leads the squad with five league goals, Alarcon has four and Cathline has three goals and two assists, yet Stepanov, who has only just returned from five weeks out injured, started on the bench against Telstar and replaced Oualid Agougil at half time.

Utrecht have won four of the last six meetings with NEC, including 1-0 at Stadion Galgenwaard on November 2 and 3-1 in Nijmegen on February 11, a game in which they led 2-0 at half time.

Stadion Galgenwaard is sold out, and the club will give Mike van der Hoorn and Nick Viergever a lap of honour after the warm-up as a farewell to the two former Utrecht defenders.

Dick Schreuder’s side are 14th on the Eredivisie table with two wins, five draws and four defeats, and they have gone eight league games without a victory.

Three of NEC’s five draws came in October, 1-1 at Ajax on October 10, 2-2 at home to Fortuna Sittard on October 18 and 2-2 at home to Groningen on October 25, before Dylan Vente’s second-half goal gave Heerenveen a 1-0 win on October 31.

NEC held more than 60% of possession at Heerenveen and hit the woodwork twice through Kevin Kers and Kaj Sierhuis, yet registered only two shots on target.

Europe has been kinder, with a 4-2 win at Dinamo Zagreb on October 22 and a 3-1 victory over Omonia Nicosia on Thursday, November 5, lifting NEC to 12th in the Europa League table on seven points after a 5-0 defeat by Juventus and a 1-1 draw with Levski Sofia.

Omonia led through Lois Diony’s 23rd-minute goal, but Bryan Linssen headed in a Tjaronn Chery corner in the 50th minute, Clement Bischoff scored from the rebound after a Dusan Tadic shot was saved in the 74th and Linssen made it 3-1 two minutes later.

NEC have conceded 19 goals in 11 league games and have conceded in each of their last seven league and European matches, and Schreuder has said he makes more defensive substitutions this season because of the fitness of his defenders.

Chery leads NEC with four league goals and two assists, Linssen has scored four goals in the last two Europa League matches, and Tadic, back from the calf injury he suffered against Levski Sofia, came off the bench in the 68th minute against Omonia and was involved in both of the decisive goals.

FC Utrecht Eredivisie form:

FC Utrecht form (all competitions):

NEC Eredivisie form:

NEC form (all competitions):

Team News

Utrecht remain without Victor Jensen, Alonzo Engwanda, Kevin Paredes, Miliano Jonathans and Noah Ohio, all of whom are sidelined by injury.

Engwanda and Paredes are hoping to return in early December, Jensen is not expected back until after the winter break, and Ohio is due back in early January after a cruciate ligament injury.

Vasilios Barkas is making his way back from injury and could be in the squad, Padt is expected to continue in goal, with Correia saying the Greek goalkeeper stays first choice whenever he is fit.

Algemeen Dagblad clubwatcher Marco Gerling has Kloosterboer close to a starting place, while Correia must still choose between Alarcon, Broholm and Cathline on the flanks.

NEC remain without Emre Mor, whose absence Schreuder has declined to explain, and Bram Nuytinck, who was due to have ankle surgery in October and has no return date.

Perr Schuurs went off injured around the 20th minute against Omonia and is a doubt, Tobias Storm has a slight hamstring problem that Schreuder hopes will clear in time, and Dennis Geiger is not fit.

Tadic and Philippe Sandler returned to the squad against Omonia after absences since mid-October and mid-September respectively, and Schreuder said he expected both to manage at least 45 minutes.

Ayodele Thomas returned to the starting lineup against Omonia after a disciplinary issue, and no suspensions are reported for either club.

FC Utrecht possible starting lineup:

Padt; Horemans, Didden, Panayiotou, Kloosterboer; Van Overeem, De Wit, Broholm, Cathline, Alarcon; Stepanov

NEC possible starting lineup:

Crettaz; Bras, Storm, Kaplan; Nejasmic, Bischoff, Lebreton, Monteiro, Thomas; Chery, Linssen

We say: FC Utrecht 2-1 NEC

Utrecht are unbeaten in three home games, have won the last two meetings with NEC and have scored at least twice in three of their last four league games, which is enough to expect a reaction after Correia promised to crack down on his squad following the Telstar defeat.

NEC have the individual quality to score through Chery and Linssen, but they play three days after the Omonia match with Schuurs and Storm doubtful, Nuytinck out and a goal conceded in each of their last seven league and European games, which is a heavy burden at a ground where Utrecht have not lost in three.

NEC’s five draws make a share of the points a real possibility, yet a side that has not won in eight league games is more likely to concede first and chase, which is how they lost 3-1 to Utrecht in February after trailing 2-0 at half time.

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