- Standings: Excelsior and FC Groningen are level on 11 points at 7th and 8th in the Eredivisie 2026-2027 table after seven games.
- Excelsior form: Excelsior Rotterdam have 2 wins, 2 draws and 1 loss from their last five matches.
- Groningen form: FC Groningen have one win, two draws and two defeats from their last five Eredivisie games.
A close call between two similar sides
Match overview
This game looks like a close one between two fairly similar sides with a preference for the 4-3-3 system, so the battle in midfield and the ability to break transition will probably be decisive. Excelsior Rotterdam — De Kralingers — have had a mixed start to their 2026-2027 campaign with a pair of draws with NEC Nijmegen and Ajax, and a defeat to FC Utrecht.
Excelsior recent form
Ruben den Uil's side, who have adopted a high-pressing, attack-first style of play since 1 July 2024, have found wins hard to come by lately, going three games without a win after drawing 2-2 away at NEC Nijmegen and 2-2 away at Ajax, either side of a 1-2 home defeat to FC Utrecht.
- Irakli Yegoian is Excelsior's chief creator, having set up five of their goals in seven Eredivisie games, and three in the last five.
- Aymen Sliti is their biggest threat in the box, having scored three in seven games for Rotterdam.
Groningen have a little more momentum
FC Groningen — De Trots van het Noorden — have also had a patchy start to the Eredivisie 2026-2027 campaign, but they have picked up momentum in the past couple of weeks after a 2-2 draw with FC Twente, a 1-1 draw away at Go Ahead Eagles and a 3-0 win over PEC Zwolle.
Dick Lukkien's men have been built on a compact shape, discipline and quick counter attacks since the Dutchman took over as boss on 1 July 2023.
This should be an open game, but Groningen have just a little more pace and momentum. Groningen's away record of one win, one draw and one defeat from their three Eredivisie 2026-2027 away games looks a lot better, while the visitors have also scored six times on the road already.
Groningen can take the win
The bookmakers have this one as a toss-up with Excelsior at 2.52 and FC Groningen at 2.52, while the draw is set at 3.65.
Excelsior's high press may get some turnovers, but Groningen's organisation and counter-attacking style look suited to punish the space behind the lines left by Den Uil's team.
Brynjolfur Andersen Willumsson leads the visitors' scoring with four goals in the Eredivisie, but David van der Werff has been a livewire, setting up three of their eight goals in the Eredivisie in the latest five games.
A goal-stacked game could be on the cards and Over 2.5 goals at 1.55 and Both Teams to Score Yes at 1.45 look attractive, but the double result looks a bit too close to call for most punters, so we're taking a slight underdog chance on Groningen to get the win here.
