Eredivisie | Gameweek 21

Jan 31, 2025 at 7pm UK

Rat Verlegh Stadion

NAC Breda vs Heracles

Match preview

After three league losses in a row, Breda bounced back with a hard-fought 2-1 win over FC Twente on 19 January, just six days before their match against PSV at the Philips Stadion.

Having broken the deadlock just shy of the half-hour mark, Carl Hoefkens's men were on course to upset the odds for a second week running. But a quickfire Guus Til double and Ricardo Pepi's stoppage-time strike turned the game around, although there was still time for Kacper Kostorz to pull one back.

Breda have now lost four out of the last five league games either side of the new year, after winning against Almere City and Sparta Rotterdam in the two games before that.

Parel van het Zuiden are still out of the running for Europe, as they're currently ninth in the Eredivisie table, but only just behind eighth-placed Fortuna Sittard (on goal difference).

But no team has picked up fewer points than Breda over the last five games, so they're set for another tough challenge. They've lost four games in a row against Friday's opponents, including a 2-0 loss in November.

With just two points separating them from Zwolle in 13th, Friday's hosts know that a defeat in their upcoming match could see them plummet down the standings for the first time since late October.

After not winning for five games between 8 November and 14 December, Heracles have turned a corner. They've gone unbeaten across their next six competitive games across all competitions.

They beat NEC Nijmegen and De Graafschap in the cup, then drew 1-1 with Sparta before beating Almere City 2-0. After that, Erwin van de Looi's men played out back-to-back stalemates against FC Utrecht and, most recently, Groningen.

Luka Kulenovic's 20th-minute strike, after he'd just returned from an injury, had the Heraclieden on their way to a first home victory in five matches before Romano Postema levelled things five minutes into the second period.

While Heracles will be disappointed not to have got all three points, especially given their numerical superiority in the final minutes of their most recent match, they've now moved three points clear of the drop zone.

After wins in their last two away games before Friday's match, the visitors will now try to get another win on enemy turf before their KNVB-Beker quarter-final match against Utrecht.

Recent Performance

NAC Breda Eredivisie form:WLLLWL

Heracles Eredivisie form:DLDWDD

Heracles form (all competitions):WDWWDD

Team News

Chherrion Valerius won't be playing for NAC Breda in this match because of his knee injury. He's been dealing with the same issue since October.

Slovenian youngster Leo Sauer has now directly contributed to two of his side's last three goals and will be looking to come up with the goods once again.

Nikolai Laursen is still facing an extended spell on the sidelines with a knee problem, while Sava-Arangel Cestic will also miss Friday's clash due to an ankle problem.

Stijn Bultman is still waiting for his first outing of the season due to a long-term injury, and the 20-year-old is still a while away from playing again.

Possible starting lineup

NAC Breda possible starting lineup:

Bielica; Kemper, Van den Bergh, Greiml, Busi; Balard, Kaied, Janosek, Sauer; Van Hooijdonk, Omarsson

Heracles possible starting lineup:

De Keijzer; Milani, Mesik, Mirani, Benita; Podgoreanu, Scheperman, De Keersmaecker, Engels; Hornkamp, Kulenovic