NAC Bredavs.Emmen

Both sides have already had to negotiate one tie to reach this stage, coming through in vastly contrasting styles.

Match preview

Having ended the regular Eerste Divisie campaign with just one win from eight matches, NAC Breda were regarded as the clear outsiders to earn promotion.

That was particularly the case when being up against third-placed Roda JC in the quarter-finals, yet they incredibly progressed 8-1 on aggregate.

After a 3-1 victory was posted in the first leg, they emphatically blitzed their hosts 5-0 on their travels to secure their spot in the last four.

Jean-Paul van Gastel's side are still the relative underdogs to progress any further in this competition, yet they have made their rivals stand up and take notice that a return to the top flight is not out of the question.

A six-match undefeated streak has also gone somewhat under the radar, with three wins and three draws being posted since April 19.

Opponents Emmen only booked their place in the end-of-season playoffs through concluding the regular campaign with a four-match winning streak.

Scoring 10 goals during that quartet of games led to Fred Grim's team making the top eight by a solitary point, and they backed up that form with a 3-2 aggregate success over Dordrecht in the quarter-finals.

Emmen twice let slip a lead during the first leg, eventually recording a 2-2 draw, but Vicente Besuijen's 88th-minute winner in the following game proved to be the difference.

These two teams have not met since January when NAC Breda came through a five-goal thriller on away territory, prevailing by a 3-2 scoreline.

NAC Breda Eredivisie Promotion Playoffs form:

W

W

NAC Breda form (all competitions):

D

W

D

D

W

W

Emmen Eredivisie Promotion Playoffs form:

D

W

Emmen form (all competitions):

W

W

W

W

D

W

Team News

With Boy Kemper having suffered an injury during the second leg at Roda JC, Manel Royo is in line to deputise at left-back if required.

Van Gastel was able to rest other players in the final stages of that fixture, leading to the possibility of an otherwise unchanged starting lineup.

Barring any injury issues, Grim could take the decision to stick with the Emmen side that battled their way to a 1-0 win at Dordrecht.

This is now a team that are six games unbeaten, a run which has featured five wins, and Saturday's victory included their first clean sheet in four attempts.

Besuijen has scored in six of Emmen's last seven games, while centre-forward Piotr Parzyszek has netted in three of the most recent five fixtures.

NAC Breda possible starting lineup:

Van de Merbel; Lucassen, Martina, Van den Bergh, Royo; Jensen, Staring; Kuipers, Omgba, Janosek; Haugen

Emmen possible starting lineup:

Oelschlagel; Te Wierik, Vos, Dirksen, Hardeveld; Bernadou, Kieftenbeld; Van Hoeven, Besuijen, Ubbink; Parzyszek

We say: NAC Breda 3-1 Emmen

Although Emmen have the recent experience of participating in the top flight, that may matter little given that NAC scored eight times in the quarter-finals. With that in mind, we are backing the home side to come through in relatively convincing fashion, setting themselves up for the reverse fixture.

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