- Levski Sofia's away form is solid, with 1 win and 1 draw in their recent away matches.
- Reinaldo is Levski's chief danger man with 2 goals in their last 5 games.
NEC are struggling in Europe
NEC Nijmegen sit 36th in the UEFA Europa League 2026-2027 table with 0 points from 1 game, while PFC Levski Sofia are 25th with 0 points from 1.
NEC Nijmegen have drawn their last two games, 1-1 at home to Go Ahead Eagles and 1-1 away to Ajax in the Eredivisie.
Levski Sofia have been more solid in recent times, picking up 2 wins, 1 draw and 2 defeats from their last 5 matches.
The away form of PFC Levski Sofia looks good enough to snatch this game on Thursday, with Levski available at 27/10 to beat a plodding NEC side in Nijmegen.
Schreuder’s side are a solid but not ruthless team
Dick Schreuder's men have been solid in parts since he took over on 1 July 2025, but they've lacked ruthless quality in the final third when the chance to break the game open has presented itself.
NEC are a team that likes to press high and with 3 men across the back, but that has also left them open to be hit on the break on more than one occasion.
Schreuder's approach has seen them draw their last 2 home games, while they are winless, but not beatable either (0-2-0) in their last 2 at home.
The 5-0 defeat away to Juventus was a long time ago now and they look much more likely to win a game like this in terms of their recent matches.
Levski have a sharp edge
Julio Velazquez has been at the helm of Levski Sofia since 5 January 2025 and his teams have been much more compact, structure-first sides that are built on a mid-block and quick transitions.
The Bulgarian side showed grit in their recent 0-0 away draw at Botev Vratsa, but they bounced back well after their 0-1 home defeat to Salzburg by beating Cherno More 0-2 away.
We're expecting a tight opening phase before NEC start to push more bodies forward and Levski will have enough to hit them in transition.
NEC's wing-back overloads and fast vertical combinations can cause havoc, but they also leave space to be exploited behind them and that's exactly where Levski's dangerous forward, Reinaldo, can hurt the hosts in the second half.
This will be a lively night, with both teams on the scoresheet and the game opening up beyond the 2.5 goal line, so we'll take Over 2.5 goals & both teams to score at 7/10 and BTTS at 31/50.
