Excelsior vs Nijmegen – News and Probable Lineups

With only six matches left for both teams to meet their goals, SBV Excelsior will host NEC on Saturday evening at Stadion Woudestein in the 29th round of the 2025-26 Eredivisie season.

Currently sitting in 16th place, the home side is striving to escape the relegation zone, while visitors in third place are targeting Champions League qualification.

Match overview

Encouraged by their recent 3-2 victory over PSV Eindhoven a week prior, NEC was nearly shocked at home by Heerenveen but managed to secure a 2-2 draw on March 14 thanks to Tjaronn Chery’s goal just before the hour mark.

Although Dick Schreuder’s squad would have been disappointed to break their three-match winning streak against a team positioned five spots lower, the 1-1 draw between Feyenoord and Ajax ensured that the Nijmegen team did not lose any ground in their pursuit of a top-three finish.

Now unbeaten in four matches (W3, D1) after a four-match winless sequence from February 11 to 28, NEC aims to return to winning form in Rotterdam. Their away performance this season has been notable, remaining unbeaten in their last 10 games since November 2.

It is no surprise that only PSV (36) has earned more away points than Saturday’s visitors (23), whose confidence has been bolstered by a resounding 5-0 victory against the hosts earlier in the season, marking consecutive wins in this matchup with an aggregate score of 8-0.

With a critical match against Feyenoord upcoming, a win for NEC this weekend could propel them to second place next Sunday, adding another positive chapter to their remarkable campaign thus far.

Following three wins in their final four matches of 2025, SBV Excelsior could not have predicted their challenging start to 2026, reflecting only one win from 12 matches since the new year and accumulating just eight points out of a possible 36.

Ruben den Uil’s team managed to halt a five-game losing streak by securing a 1-1 draw against bottom-placed Heracles last time out; however, they have since fallen into the relegation play-off position due to Telstar’s surprising win over PSV.

Less than a year following their promotion to the Eredivisie, De Roodzwarten are now faced with the potential of an immediate drop back to the second division unless they can stage a late-season recovery.

With Excelsior recording the fewest goals in the league (29), the home side cannot afford to be defensively weak, having gone six matches without a clean sheet and conceding multiple goals in four of those games.

As with other teams at risk of relegation, their performance at home is vital; Excelsior must improve on their league-low points tally of 14 at home, with fans yet to see a victory on their own ground since December 20.

Team News

Hamdi Akujobi and Miliano Jonathans are both ruled out for the rest of the season due to anterior cruciate ligament injuries.

Calvin Raatsie remains unavailable for Excelsior with a shoulder injury that’s kept him out since mid-February, while Jerolldino Bergraaf (hamstring) and Lewis Schouten (head) are also not fit—the latter was substituted after just 38 minutes against Heracles.

Rick Meissen replaced Schouten in that match and is set to start this time in the defensive line alongside Casper Widell.

Goalkeepers Jasper Cillessen (calf) and Gonzalo Crettaz (hamstring) are not in contention for NEC, with Rijk Janse likely to take the position between the posts.

Brayann Pereira, Freek Entius, and Deveron Fonville are also unavailable for the visitors, although Eli Dasa is back fit and available for selection.

Tjaronn Chery’s two goals against Heerenveen have brought his direct contribution to 15 goals in 27 league matches, making the 37-year-old a player to watch despite his recent World Cup letdown with Suriname.

SBV Excelsior probable starting XI:

Van Gassel; Zagre, Meissen, Widell, Bronkhorst; Hearts; De Regt, Yegoian, Naujoks, Fernandes; Van Duinen

NEC probable starting XI:

Janse; Sandler, Kaplan, Willems; Ouaissa, Nejasmic, Sano, Onal; Chery, Lebreton; Linssen

NEC have been averaging approximately 2.5 goals per game and will be eager to face an Excelsior side currently grappling with defensive issues.

A straightforward victory for the visitors seems the most probable outcome, and we anticipate they will secure all three points.