SC Heerenveen host PEC Zwolle at the Abe Lenstra Stadion on 22 August 2026, the third matchday of the Eredivisie season. Heerenveen come in unbeaten through two games and riding an eight match home winning streak that dates back to January, while Zwolle sit bottom with no points and two heavy defeats already to their name.
Robin Veldman took charge of Heerenveen on 21 March 2025 after replacing Robin van Persie, while Henry van der Vegt assumed control of PEC Zwolle on 1 July 2025 through internal promotion. Both are still relatively new in their seats with little head to head data to lean on, though the contrast in early returns is stark: Veldman has already tightened Heerenveen's defensive shape noticeably, whereas van der Vegt has yet to find a shape that holds, with five goals conceded across two matches. Heerenveen opened the season with a disciplined 1-0 win over Twente on 9 August before holding Ajax to a 2-2 draw away from home on 16 August, leaving them tied eighth with four points. Zwolle's start has been far more painful: 0-2 to Ajax, then 1-3 at Twente, sitting 18th and still waiting for their first points. The narrow scorelines somewhat flatter them, the underlying issues in possession retention and defensive structure are real.
Heerenveen will be without Mats Egbring, sidelined with an ankle injury, which removes a versatile full back option. Zwolle's situation is markedly worse: Sherel Floranus is serving the second and final match of his red card suspension, depriving the side of their most reliable right back, while Younes Namli is also absent with a knee injury.
Both teams line up in a 4-2-3-1, though Heerenveen use the double pivot to shield their centre backs while pushing wingers high and wide, whereas Zwolle's shape is far more reactive, built around holding their structure and waiting for moments to break. Jacob Trenskow has contributed goals or assists in both league outings already and with Floranus suspended, his runs down the right channel should find more space than usual. Dylan Vente leads the line, with Luca Oyen and Ringo Meerveld offering runners from deep.
Without much possession, Zwolle rely on quick transitions through Koen Kostons and Elias Sorensen. Kostons is the intended end product of Zwolle's counter pressing game but without Namli's vision in the number ten role, Thijs Oosting and Dylan Mbayo are left to cover more ground than planned. The suspended Floranus leaves the right flank exposed to Heerenveen's overlapping runs and Veldman's side will target that channel repeatedly, drawing Zwolle's shape across before playing back into Vente's feet centrally.
Egbring's absence complicates things slightly for Heerenveen too: without his ground covering ability at right back, they may start with a more conservative option who sits deeper, giving Zwolle's left sided attackers more room to operate, though any hesitation in Zwolle's high line when Sorensen drops deep to link play could equally gift Trenskow or Vente chances inside the box.
The most recent home meeting between the two sides ended 4-2 to Heerenveen. The last ten league meetings are more evenly split, with Heerenveen claiming three wins, Zwolle four and three draws shared between them but those Zwolle victories have come almost exclusively at their own stadium: in the three away fixtures from those ten meetings, Zwolle scored only once.
Heerenveen's routines from corners and free kicks have already produced results this season and Zwolle's depleted back line makes delivery from Oyen or Meerveld into the near post a genuine concern, with flick ons for Vente or late arrivals from midfield the likely outcome. Zwolle's transition play has looked blunt in the opening weeks and their inability to generate clean turnovers reduces what was already a limited attacking repertoire.
Heerenveen 3-0 PEC Zwolle. The hosts have better structure and the assurance of an eight game home streak behind them, while Zwolle's defensive absences leave Kostons isolated without Namli's link play. Trenskow looks most likely to open the scoring from a wide position in the first half, with Vente adding a tap in after the break and Oyen grabbing a late third as Heerenveen exploit the spaces left by a tiring, depleted Zwolle side.
Ryan Baldi
Football Writer
Ryan Baldi is a professional football writer with years of experience and has been featured by respected outlets such as the BBC, The Guardian, Sky Sports, DAZN, FourFourTwo, ESPN, Yahoo Sport and Football365. He has also written several books including Arsène Who?.
