Heracles v NEC

Heracles vs NEC Preview

Heracles were handed a heavy 4-1 defeat in their opening game of this new Dutch Eredivisie campaign upon their return to the domestic top flight but the hosts will be hoping for a better result on Friday night when they return to Erve Asito when they play host to NEC Nijmegen.

Heracles finished top of the Eerste Divisie on goal difference over runners-up, PEC Zwolle, and thus secured automatic promotion back up into the Eredivisie for this upcoming season and having lost just twice in their previous 10 games in all competitions, Heracles will still feel confident about their chances here on Friday night.

Within this encouraging sequence of results, Heracles have collected no fewer than eight wins in the process, five of which were gained in victories on home soil, so the hosts will be keen to make a good impression in this opening home game of the season.

The bigger picture also shows a promising outlook for Heracles as the hosts have lost just three of their previous 24 home games which includes 18 victories, while also scoring two goals or more in 17 of these 24 home games which augers well for this upcoming clash against a leaky NEC outfit.

NEC finished last season's Eredivisie campaign in 12th place with 11 points separating the visitors from the relegation play-off spot but they also trailed the top eight pack by a margin of nine points so it ended up being a pretty indifferent season for the away side.

NEC also tasted defeat in last weekend's opening game of the new Eredivisie season as they succumbed to a 4-3 loss at home to Excelsior which saw NEC continue where they left off at the end of last season's campaign.

The visitors had finished last term in disappointing fashion as they lost three out of their final four games of the season, suffering defeats at the hands of Heerenveen, Twente and AZ Alkmaar, while also being held to a 1-1 draw away from home at Fortuna Sittard.

NEC have now shipped a total of 15 goals in their last five league matches in the Dutch top flight and their leaky defence is likely to come under close scrutiny by Heracles on Friday night as well.

Heracles v NEC Verdict

Heracles have kept a total of 12 clean sheets within their last 24 games at home while the hosts have also found the back of the net on numerous occasions which should set them up for a positive result against NEC on Friday night.

It's true that NEC have held the upper hand in recent previous exchanges as the visitors have won four of the last five meetings but Heracles could take advantage of NEC's susceptible defence in this encounter.

Therefore, our main bet will be Heracles win @ 2.10

Other side bets worth considering:

Heracles win & Both Teams To Score No @ 5.00

Correct score: Heracles 2-0 @ 13.00