Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the Eredivisie match.
The second semi-final of the Eredivisie play-offs for a spot in the UEFA Europa Conference League is expected to be far more evenly matched than the encounter between AZ Alkmaar and SC Heerenveen. Twente and Nijmegen finished the regular season in close proximity in the standings, and both sides are highly motivated to secure European football for next season.
Twente
The hosts wrapped up their league campaign in sixth place, despite facing a difficult run-in that included four fixtures against top-five opponents in the final five rounds. Still, Twente coped well under pressure, finding the net in four of those matches. The standout figure for the team has been Sem Steijn. The 23-year-old Dutch striker topped the Eredivisie scoring charts with 24 goals. However, Twente have endured defensive issues, conceding 49 goals — the highest total among the top six clubs. Over their last nine league matches, the squad managed just two clean sheets.
NEC Nijmegen
NEC Nijmegen weren’t viewed as genuine contenders for European qualification earlier in the season, but they finished strongly — stringing together three consecutive wins, including a commanding 3:0 victory over Ajax and a comeback triumph against Heracles Almelo (2:1) on the final day. NEC Nijmegen have found rhythm in attack, averaging 1.5 goals per game in league play. Defensively, however, concerns persist, with 46 goals conceded over the course of the campaign. Moreover, they have conceded in nine of their last ten meetings with Twente.
Twente vs NEC Nijmegen Prediction
Twente will aim to capitalise on their home advantage, while NEC Nijmegen, boosted by their strong end-of-season form, are more than capable of posing a threat. Considering the visitors' recent run of high-scoring matches and the hosts’ reliable output in front of goal at home, both teams to score looks a likely outcome.
