Round 10 of the 2026-27 Eredivisie season sees Fortuna Sittard host SBV Excelsior at the Fortuna Sittard Stadion on Sunday afternoon.

Both sides are still searching for their first win since returning to league action after the September/October international break.

Match preview

After three seasons hovering just outside the top half, Fortuna Sittard have their sights set on a European push this term. They will hope not to look back at Sunday’s 2-2 draw against NEC with regret come May, having dropped points from a winning position for the second game running.

Danny Buijs’s side led 1-0 and 2-1 but were unable to press home their advantage, ultimately conceding a 93rd-minute equaliser to Willum Thor Willumsson that forced a share of the spoils at Stadion de Goffert.

Despite their recent inability to hold on to leads, Fortuna’s current tally of 15 points from nine matches is their best start at this stage since returning to the Eredivisie in 2018-19. Optimism remains that this could finally be the year their 28-year wait for continental football ends.

Fortuna have won four consecutive home meetings against Excelsior and are unbeaten on their turf in nine meetings dating back to 2006. However, their recent home form is a concern, with just four points collected  from as many outings in Sittard-Geleen this season.

A quarter of Fortuna's 16 goals this season have come in the opening 15 minutes, showing their tendency to start quickly. Another fast start this weekend could lay the foundation for their first home win since mid-August.

Still reeling from a 5-1 thrashing at the hands of Groningen, Excelsior suffered another heavy defeat at the Abe Lenstra Stadion, as Heerenveen cruised to a 4-0 win in Friday’s round nine opener.

What began as a promising campaign - with 10 points from the first 15 available - has quickly unravelled for Ruben den Uil’s side. Excelsior have picked up just two points from their last five outings, with only Willem II posting a worse record over that span.

Having lost three straight league matches only once since September 2025, De Roodzwarten will hope to halt their current slide against Fortuna. They certainly have enough firepower on the road, with 11 away goals - the joint fourth-highest in the division.

However, Excelsior must improve defensively after conceding at least two goals in five consecutive matches, a stark contrast to the solidity that saw them keep two clean sheets in their opening four games and concede just three goals, two of which came against reigning champions PSV Eindhoven.

Sunday’s clash marks the start of a run of four straight league matches against current top-half opposition for the visitors, who must rise to the occasion to prevent their season from spiralling further downward.

Fortuna Sittard Eredivisie form:

Fortuna Sittard form (all competitions):

SBV Excelsior Eredivisie form:

Team News

Fortuna duo Ramazan Bayram and Ivan Marquez are yet to feature this season and remain sidelined through injury.

Yassin Oukili is set to miss a third consecutive game for the hosts due to a groin injury, but Jasper Dahlhaus could return from an issue picked up during the international break.

After his brace last time out, Anthony Descotte has taken his tally to five league goals in nine matches, making the Belgian one to watch.

Noah Naujoks returned with a 13-minute cameo against Heerenveen, leaving Excelsior with a fully fit squad for Sunday’s clash.

Summer signing Agust Thorsteinsson is yet to score in seven appearances for Excelsior, and could be dropped to the bench in Sittard.

Fortuna Sittard possible starting lineup:

Branderhorst; Pinto, Van Ottele, Guth, Brittijn, Hubner; Simons, Michut, 't Zand; Descotte, Zeefuik

SBV Excelsior possible starting lineup:

Van Gassel; Janssen, Plug, Widell, Moreira; Hartjes, Meissen, Yegoian; Sliti, Garden, Silva

We say: Fortuna Sittard 2-1 SBV Excelsior

With both sides having scored the same number of goals, and Fortuna just one better off defensively, there is little to separate the teams, so Sunday’s game could go either way.

As hosts, Fortuna are expected to take control against an out-of-form Excelsior, and we are backing Buijs’s men to edge a narrow win.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.