NEC Nijmegen vs Olympiakos Piraeus Preview: Prediction, Team News & Lineups

The second leg of this UEFA Champions League third qualifying round tie has everything a neutrals could want from early European football. After a goalless first leg in Piraeus, NEC Nijmegen vs Olympiakos Piraeus on Tuesday 11 August 2026 is effectively a straight knockout: whoever wins at the Goffertstadion advances to the play-off round, while a draw after 90 minutes sends the tie to extra time. For NEC, it would be the most significant result in the club's modern history. For Olympiakos, it is a must-win chance to reach the group stage they feel they belong in. Check out the NEC Nijmegen vs Olympiakos Piraeus predictions on Betiball for the latest odds and tips on this fixture.

Match Overview

NEC Nijmegen arrive for one of the biggest moments in the club's history, preparing for their first-ever Champions League qualifier at this stage. Last season the Nijmegen side overtook several competitors including Ajax and, by a single point, Twente, to finish in the Eredivisie's top three.

Olympiakos, under Jose Luis Mendilibar, won the 2024 UEFA Conference League, the club's first European trophy, and a year later challenged for the top of the Greek Super League. However they could not hold off AEK Athens, who proved just the stronger side across both halves of the campaign. The Greek side are desperate to translate their continental pedigree into a return to the elite group stage.

NEC Nijmegen Form & Recent Results

NEC finished the 2025/26 Eredivisie season in third place with 59 points from 34 matches, recording 16 wins, 11 draws, and 7 losses while scoring 77 goals and conceding 53. That attacking output underlines why Dick Schreuder's team will carry genuine threat into this second leg.

NEC's preparation has taken a slight blow, suffering a 2-1 home defeat to Telstar on Saturday in the opening Eredivisie matchday, conceding twice inside the opening 24 minutes before pulling one back late on. That domestic wobble will concern Schreuder, though the European context is different.

Their Champions League campaign has demonstrated considerable defensive resilience. NEC kept Olympiakos scoreless in Piraeus and now have home advantage, where a victory would take them into the Champions League play-offs for the first time. Across their recent competitive fixtures, over 75% of NEC's matches have featured more than 2.5 goals total , suggesting this second leg could open up once both teams push for a decisive goal.

Olympiakos Piraeus Form & Recent Results

A 48-time Greek champion, Olympiakos ended last season trophyless, finishing second in the Super League, six points behind AEK Athens. During the offseason, the club moved aggressively in the transfer market, adding 11 players in total. Despite the squad refresh, the on-field form going into this tie has been patchy.

Heading into this second leg, Olympiakos are on a winless run across their last four matches. A 1-0 loss to Ajax was followed by conceding six goals in total across defeats to Royal Antwerp (3-0) and AZ (3-2), before the goalless draw with NEC snapped the losing sequence.

Olympiakos controlled 54% of the possession in the first leg but were unable to find the breakthrough. Ayoub El Kaabi and Mehdi Taremi netted double figures in league goals last term, notching 18 and 10 respectively, and both men returned to action after representing Morocco and Iran at the 2026 World Cup. The attacking talent is clearly there; the question is whether they can unlock it with a goal in Nijmegen.

Head-to-Head

These two sides have met just once before in their history, a 2024 friendly in the Netherlands in which Olympiakos won 2-0. There is very little competitive head-to-head data between the clubs, with the first leg in Piraeus effectively establishing the first competitive chapter, ending 0-0.

The sample size is too small to draw firm conclusions. What matters far more is that the aggregate is level at 0-0, home advantage now sits with NEC, and neither side has scored against the other in a competitive match yet. Everything is still to play for.

Team News & Possible Lineups

NEC Nijmegen

Goalkeeper Freek Entius has been listed as unavailable heading into the return leg. From the first leg in Greece, Vito van Crooij, Koki Ogawa, Perr Schuurs, Willum Thor Willumsson, Adam Tahaui, and Yassin Moslih were either injured or left out of the squad. Ogawa's continued absence is especially notable given he scored nine goals in the 2025/26 Eredivisie season.

The biggest attacking hopes rest with Bryan Linssen, who led the team in goals last season with 11 goals and 7 assists. NEC opened the new Eredivisie campaign against Telstar and will be keen to show their European ambition is no accident. With home support behind them and a clear path to the play-offs on offer, expect a front-foot approach from Schreuder.

Expected XI (4-3-3): Cillessen; Pereira, Sandler, Fofana, Wass; Sano, Proper, Lebreton; Chery, Linssen, Tadic

Olympiakos Piraeus

Panos Retsos is doubtful for Tuesday after being withdrawn in the 64th minute of the first leg with an ankle problem, which could force Mendilibar into a change at centre-back. Yusuf Yazici remains the certain absentee, still sidelined by the severe knee injury suffered in May.

Mehdi Taremi has not been included in the squad for the second qualifying round, meaning El Kaabi carries the primary goalscoring burden. Captain Retsos has reportedly cleared the ankle issue and may yet be available , which would be a boost to a defence that has looked shaky in pre-season. Mendilibar's system relies heavily on wide runners and a compact midfield, so the fitness of key movers like Chiquinho and Rodinei will be watched closely.

Expected XI (4-2-3-1): Popovic; Saliakas, Smajlovic, Carmo, Onyemaechi; Garcia, Mouzakitis; Rodinei, Chiquinho, Roca; El Kaabi

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Prediction

Models currently show win probabilities extremely tight: NEC Nijmegen at 33%, a draw at 33%, and Olympiakos at 34%, reflecting a contest with no clear favourite and both teams in poor recent form. The market effectively calls this a coin flip on the night, which is consistent with a tie that has produced zero goals across the first 90 minutes. For those browsing today's football predictions, this is one of the most evenly poised games on the European calendar this week.

Tactically, NEC's home record is a genuine weapon. At Goffertstadion in the Eredivisie, NEC have been undefeated in six consecutive home matches. Olympiakos, meanwhile, travel with a leaky pre-season defensive record and the physical grind of an away European knockout second leg. Several observers back NEC to edge the contest at home, while noting that Mendilibar's side have also failed to win any of their last four matches, making their attacking threat hard to quantify. With Taremi absent and Retsos doubtful, Olympiakos look thinner at the margins than their squad overhaul suggested they would be.

The smart read here is that NEC's home atmosphere, combined with the pressure on Olympiakos to score rather than absorb, tilts the balance slightly toward the Dutch side. Expect a cagey opening, but NEC's attacking players are capable of creating the decisive moment once space opens in the second half. Betiball's read: NEC Nijmegen to edge this 1-0 and advance to the Champions League play-off round.