SBV Excelsior host Go Ahead Eagles at the Van Donge & De Roo Stadion in Rotterdam on Saturday, in round 12 of the 2026-27 Eredivisie.

Excelsior have conceded 19 goals in their last four league games, while Go Ahead Eagles have the Eredivisie's joint-top scorer in Soren Tengstedt but have conceded four times in each of their last two away league matches.

Match preview

Excelsior collected 10 points from their first five league games to sit fourth in the Eredivisie table after a 2-2 draw at NEC on September 8, and they have taken one point from the 18 available since.

The 0-9 defeat by Twente on November 1 was the heaviest in Excelsior's league history, and it began to unravel when Nesto Groen was sent off after five minutes for a high challenge on Robin Propper, the quickest red card in a league match in the club's history.

Excelsior did not register a single shot and conceded two penalties, and head coach Ruben den Uil said his players had collapsed mentally and stopped carrying out their individual tasks once they fell 2-0 or 3-0 behind.

Excelsior have won one of their five home league games, scoring five goals and conceding 19, nine of them against Twente, while they have taken eight points from six away league matches.

Their 16 league goals include four at Cambuur on August 7, when Noah Naujoks scored twice, so Excelsior have managed 12 in the 10 games since.

That leaves Excelsior 15th on 11 points, two clear of 16th-placed Telstar, who currently hold the relegation play-off place.

Go Ahead Eagles have won three of their 11 league matches without ever winning two in a row, and they sit 10th on 14 points with a goal difference of minus four.

Their latest outing, at promoted Cambuur on October 31, finished 4-0 and was abandoned late in the second half after fireworks were thrown from the away end for a second time, with the KNVB ruling that the scoreline stands.

General director Jan Willem van Dop described the behaviour of the travelling fans as deeply sad, and Go Ahead Eagles are withdrawing away-match registration from supporters identified on footage of the fireworks and the disorder afterwards.

Tengstedt has scored eight league goals, level with Groningen's Brynjolfur Willumsson and Twente's Wout Weghorst at the top of the scoring charts, and he has scored in all five of Go Ahead Eagles' home games, including twice in the 3-2 win over Telstar on October 23.

Head coach Joseph Oosting moved Tengstedt into a free role behind striker Victor Edvardsen against Telstar, with Oskar Sivertsen on the right flank, and the same front four started at Cambuur.

Go Ahead Eagles have conceded in all 11 league games, including four at PEC Zwolle on October 18 and four at Cambuur, the latter with Jasper Cillessen starting in goal for the second time since his debut in the KNVB Beker.

SBV Excelsior Eredivisie form:

SBV Excelsior form (all competitions):

Go Ahead Eagles Eredivisie form:

Go Ahead Eagles form (all competitions):

Team News

Excelsior are without Groen, who was given a three-match ban with one match suspended, so he misses this game and the trip to Feyenoord on November 21.

Groen scored a stoppage-time winner in the 2-1 victory over Sparta Rotterdam on August 29, and David Garden, who has scored at Cambuur, Willem II and NEC this season, is the likeliest replacement.

Go Ahead Eagles remain without goalkeeper Nick Marsman, who has a knee injury and is not expected back until early January, and defender Pim Saathof, who has not played since May 2025 and is due back around the turn of the year.

Eus Waayers has been sidelined since mid-September.

Stefan Sigurdarson, who has scored against Feyenoord, ADO Den Haag and PEC Zwolle, was among the substitutes at Cambuur and against Telstar.

Cillessen is expected to keep his place in goal ahead of Kjetil Haug after starting the last two matches, and no Go Ahead Eagles player is suspended for the trip to Rotterdam.

SBV Excelsior possible starting lineup:

Van Gassel; Bos, Widell, Plug, Meissen; Van Vianen, Hartjes, Naujoks; Yegoian, Garden, Sliti

Go Ahead Eagles possible starting lineup:

Cillessen; Sampsted, Dirksen, Kramer, James; Linthorst, Meulensteen; Sivertsen, Tengstedt, Suray; Edvardsen

We say: SBV Excelsior 1-2 Go Ahead Eagles

Go Ahead Eagles have scored 23 league goals to Excelsior's 16 and have the Eredivisie's joint-top scorer in Tengstedt, against an Excelsior back line that has conceded four or more in three of its last four league matches.

The history points the same way, as Go Ahead Eagles have won the last three meetings without conceding, including a 1-0 victory at this ground on March 1, when Tengstedt scored the only goal despite Excelsior having more than half of the possession.

The case for Excelsior is that Go Ahead Eagles are winless in six away league games, have conceded in all 11 league matches, and rely on a scorer who had four goals in his first 41 Eredivisie appearances before this season.

We still expect Go Ahead Eagles to win, because Excelsior have failed to score in three of their last four league matches and are without Groen, so a visiting side that scores twice should be enough even if Excelsior find one goal at home.

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