🏏 Sat, 22 Aug 2026 21:00 CEST
SC Heerenveen
vs
PEC Zwolle
4-2-3-1 vs 4-2-3-1
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- Heerenveen sit eighth on four points from their opening two fixtures, unbeaten with a plus-one goal difference, while PEC Zwolle arrive 15th and still pointless after two defeats, having scored once and conceded five for a minus-four difference. With leaders AZ Alkmaar already on nine points from three games, Heerenveen cannot afford to drop points at home in this one.
- The two sides have faced identical opponents so far and produced opposite outcomes. Heerenveen beat Twente 1-0 at home on matchday one and then drew 2-2 away at Ajax, whereas Zwolle lost 0-2 at home to Ajax before going down 3-1 at Twente. That contrast explains the four-point gap between eighth and 15th heading into this fixture.
- Heerenveen centre-back Sam Kersten faces his former club: the 28-year-old, 191cm defender came through the FC Den Bosch academy and spent time at PEC Zwolle before moving north. Alongside 190cm Maas Willemsen, a 23-year-old developed at FC Twente, he gives the hosts a tall, experienced pairing to deal with Zwolle's long balls and set pieces.
- Both teams line up in a 4-2-3-1, so the double-pivot duel will shape the opening exchanges. Heerenveen pair the 168cm NEC academy product Dirk Proper, 24, with 189cm Swede Marcus Linday, 23, who arrived for a record fee for a Swedish-league transfer to the club. Zwolle answer with 186cm Dane Tobias Sørensen, 24, and 31-year-old New Zealand international Ryan Thomas.
- The hosts' attacking trio offers three different profiles. Number 10 Ringo Meerveld, a 23-year-old attacking midfielder, joined Willem II from Den Bosch for that club's record fee and supplies the creativity. Maxence Rivera, 24 and just 171cm, is a Saint-Étienne-schooled right winger built on pace and dribbling, while Dane Jacob Trenskow, 25, arrived from Kalmar FF for around 1.5 million euros.
- Centre-forward Dylan Vente, 27, came through the Feyenoord academy and made his Champions League debut for the Rotterdam club against Manchester City. He will be marshalled by Zwolle's 191cm Dane Simon Graves, 27, who played Serie B football with Palermo, and by 37-year-old Nick Viergever, a three-cap Netherlands international with Ajax and PSV on his CV.
- Zwolle's main goal threat is Koen Kostons, a 26-year-old, 186cm striker who scored 32 goals in 157 games for MVV Maastricht, hit 11 in 16 for Dalkurd in Sweden and sampled the 2. Bundesliga at Paderborn before becoming his current side's leading scorer. Behind him, Groningen loanee Thijs Oosting, 26, an AZ academy graduate, is the side's chief passer, with 189cm Elias Sørensen adding aerial presence.
- The goalkeeping picture is a study in contrasts. Heerenveen trust 20-year-old Netherlands Under-21 international Bernt Klaverboer, 190cm and first choice since September 2025, with 203cm Andries Noppert, 32, the Netherlands' number one at the 2022 World Cup, waiting on the bench. Zwolle field 25-year-old Jasper Schendelaar, backed up by 195cm Duke Verduin, 22.
- The full-back areas could decide the width battle. Greece international Vasilios Zagaritis, 25, is Heerenveen's left-back and won a Serie B title and promotion with Parma after leaving Panathinaikos, delivering crosses off his left foot. Opposite him, 22-year-old Norwegian Oliver Braude, once a trialist at Barcelona and Liverpool, attacks from right-back against Zwolle's young left-footed left-back Olivier Aertssen, also 22.
- The benches carry real influence for the closing stages. Heerenveen can call on left-footed winger Luca Oyen, 23, son of former Belgium forward Davy Oyen and a January 2026 signing from the Genk academy, plus the experienced Luuk Brouwers, 28, a former Utrecht and Go Ahead Eagles midfielder. Zwolle counter with Ibrahim Cissoko, 23, previously at Toulouse and Sheffield Wednesday, and Utrecht-schooled playmaker Odysseus Velanas, 28.