- Fortuna form: Fortuna have won three of their last five games, drawing one and losing one, and are currently 7th in the Eredivisie on 14 points from eight matches.
- Excelsior form: Excelsior are in mixed-to-poor form, having won zero, drawn two and lost three of their last five matches, and find themselves 10th in the Eredivisie on 11 points from nine games.
- Home/away scoring: Fortuna have scored five goals in four home games in the Eredivisie 2026-2027 (W1, D1, L2), while Excelsior have scored 11 in five away games (W2, D2, L1).
Excelsior will press and Fortuna will block
Fortuna Sittard are in the better form of the two teams coming into Sunday's game, having won 2-1 away to Racing Genk and drawn 1-1 at home to FC Twente in their last two Eredivisie matches. The two other home games that Fortuna have played this season were both losses. The home side have been efficient rather than prolific on their own patch, finding the net five times in four games. Danny Buijs has been in charge since July 2023 and his troops appear to be well drilled, compact and disciplined.
Excelsior Rotterdam are on a two-game losing streak, following a 2-2 away draw at Ajax, a 1-5 home defeat against FC Groningen and a 4-0 loss away to SC Heerenveen. Ruben den Uil has been in charge of De Kralingers since July 2024 and he has built his 4-3-3 team on a structured build-up, an aggressive high press and the ability to hurt teams on the transition.
Excelsior can’t be underestimated
Tactical battle
Fortuna will line up in a 4-4-2 or 4-3-3 and sit in a low block, before aiming direct passes into space or second balls in the box – the opposite of Excelsior's approach. The hosts have some width to stretch the play and are very solid on the ball in the center of the field, so they should be able to frustrate Excelsior's press. But the away side's intensity will give them a decent chance to force mistakes in Fortuna's half and create some opportunities of their own.
Key players and stats
- Lequincio Zeefuik leads Fortuna's Eredivisie scoring with three goals in seven games, with Mohammed Ihattaren chipping in with two of the club's six goals in the last five.
- Aymen Sliti is the top marksman for Excelsior with three in seven and he has two in their last five.
- Irakli Yegoian has been the creative spark for De Kralingers, as he has provided five assists in his seven Eredivisie appearances.
Shrewd bet on both teams scoring
The odds on this game have the home team at 2.7 and the away team at 2.44, with the tie at 3.82. Both teams to score looks the shrewd bet here at 1.42, but that is still a fairly short price considering Excelsior's recent form. Over 2.5 goals at 1.45 also points to this being an open game.
Our belief is that Fortuna have the better chance of winning this match, as they are in the stronger form of the two and have the advantage of playing at home, but it will not be a blowout.
