PREVIEW | NEC vs Levski Sofia: team news, lineups, predictions (Europa League 15/10)

This Thursday, NEC and Levski Sofia will face off at the Goffertstadion in the UEFA Europa League for the first time. NEC recently drew 1-1 with Ajax in the Eredivisie, while Levski Sofia won 0-2 against Cherno More in the Bulgarian league.

For NEC, Kaj Sierhuis will be unavailable due to an injury, Bram Nuytinck will be out after ankle surgery, Emre Mor is sidelined with a groin injury, and Ayodele Thomas is suspended. Levski Sofia's Radoslav Kirilov is ineligible to play.

In their last match, NEC faced Ajax and drew 1-1. Levski Sofia's previous game saw them defeat Cherno More 0-2.

Manager Julio Velázquez has faced NEC twice, with one draw and one defeat. Away from home, Levski Sofia have lost one of their last nine games but have won four consecutive matches without defeat. They have also gone 20 games without a win in total.

At home, NEC have won one of their last six games but have scored in six consecutive matches and conceded goals in six consecutive games. They have now gone six games without a win, including two without a defeat.

This will be the first meeting between NEC and Levski Sofia in the Europa League.