Excelsior vs Volendam – News and Probable Lineups

With their top-flight status on the line, SBV Excelsior and FC Volendam go head-to-head at Stadion Woudestein on Sunday during round 33 of the 2025-26 Eredivisie season.

Excelsior kicks off the weekend with a three-point advantage over their opponents, and a victory would not only complete a league double following their 2-1 win in September, but also secure their place in the Eredivisie for the next season.

Match overview

Having finished 2025 well, winning three out of their last four games, Excelsior has struggled in 2026, managing only one win in their initial 14 league matches—an alarming stretch that has left them just a point above the relegation zone and at serious risk of dropping to the Eerste Divisie.

A convincing 5-0 win over Utrecht, who are in the race for Europe, two weeks ago marked a strong return for Ruben den Uil’s team, and they followed that up with a thrilling 3-2 comeback win against Groningen in their latest outing.

After securing consecutive victories for the second time this season, De Roodzwarten are now three points clear of the relegation zone and need at least four points from their remaining two matches to secure their safety.

In order to avoid entering their season finale at Sparta Rotterdam still in danger of relegation, Excelsior will be eager to secure a win on Sunday against a fellow relegation battler, and they have a historical advantage.

Excelsior has remained unbeaten in their last four encounters with Volendam and has managed to keep clean sheets in the last three matches played at home against them.

Nonetheless, this could all prove irrelevant if they cannot resolve their scoring difficulties at home, having netted the joint second-fewest goals at home in the league (19)—five of which came during their recent thrashing of Utrecht.

Since the early 2000s, Volendam has only completed back-to-back seasons in the top tier once (2022-23 and 2023-24), and their troubles this season provide a clear rationale for that.

While Rick Kruys’s squad has the best defensive statistics among the bottom seven teams, their attacking performance has been lacking significantly. Their recent 2-0 loss against Heerenveen represented the fifth time in nine games that they have failed to find the net.

With their final two fixtures against teams just ahead in the ranks, Het Andere Oranje largely have control of their destiny and need to rise to the challenge to avoid further complications with relegation/promotion play-offs.

Only the already-relegated Heracles have earned fewer points away than Volendam’s eight, yet they arrive at Excelsior this weekend on a high after a 2-0 away victory that halted a streak of four straight Eredivisie defeats on the road.

Having conceded a quarter of their 52 goals in the first 15 minutes, Volendam cannot afford another slow start on Sunday, particularly in a match where they have conceded the opening goal in eight of their last ten encounters.

Team News

Miliano Jonathans and Hamdi Akujobi are set to miss the remainder of the 2025-26 season as they recover from anterior cruciate ligament injuries.

Mathijs Tielemans and Stan Hendrikx have missed Excelsior’s last four fixtures and will also be unavailable for the match on Sunday.

Derensii Sanches Fernandes has scored four goals and provided an assist in his last three appearances, making him the most dangerous attacking option for Excelsior.

Dave Kwakman is out with a knee issue and is one of three confirmed absentees for Volendam, along with Silvinho Esajas and the suspended Nordin Bukala.

Starting goalkeeper Kayne van Oevelen is a doubt after sustaining an injury just after the hour mark against Heerenveen.

SBV Excelsior probable starting XI:

Van Gassel; Zagre, Schouten, Widell, Meissen; Yegoian, Hearts, Naujoks; Hansson, De Regt, Sanches Fernandes

FC Volendam probable starting XI:

Steering; Ugwu, Amevor, Verschuren, Leliendal; Bacuna, Jah; Descotte, Kokcu, Ould-Chikh; Veerman

There is pressure on Volendam to secure all three points, but Excelsior benefits from both home support and positive momentum.

While we anticipate a closely contested match with both sides striving for victory, we predict that the home team will emerge with a narrow win to secure their place in the top tier.