- Home form: Heerenveen's record in the Eredivisie 2026-2027 is 1-1-2 at home, where they average 0.75 goals scored per game and concede 1.25.
- Away record: Excelsior are undefeated on the road in Eredivisie 2026-2027 (2-2-0 in 4 away games) and have conceded just four goals in these fixtures.
Heerenveen haven’t been at their best, but Excelsior are not
League positions and recent form
SC Heerenveen are currently tenth in the Eredivisie 2026-2027 table with 9 points from 8 games while visitors Excelsior Rotterdam are seventh with 11 points from 7. Their form has been mixed, with the hosts seeing 1 win, 2 draws and 2 defeats in their last 5 matches and the visitors seeing 2 wins, 2 draws and 1 defeat in their previous 5.
Heerenveen have been erratic, going 0-0 at home to Telstar before their 4-0 win away to Sparta Rotterdam and then losing 2-0 away to PSV Eindhoven. They also won 2-1 away to Excelsior in the Eredivisie 2025/2026 so they are no strangers to getting the better of Friday's opponents.
Team players and attacking threats
Ruben den Uil has been in charge of Excelsior since 1 July 2024 and his team have played the type of proactive, aggressive pressing football that he seems to want. They have been flexible in their approach.
- Heerenveen have the edge in the goal-scoring department with Jacob Trenskow hitting the front 3 times in 7 Eredivisie 2026/2027 games and Levi Smans adding 3 assists in their most recent 5 matches.
- The best way to get a goal for Excelsior has been via Irakli Yegoian, their creative hub who has 5 assists in Eredivisie 2026-2027 and 3 in their most recent 5 games.
- Aymen Sliti has also been in good form of late, hitting the net 3 times in their most recent 10 goals, making him the sharpest finisher in the current campaign.
Press vs press is always a good watch
Both managers want tempo and turnovers. Heerenveen press from a 4-3-3 base while Excelsior also press.
It looks like a press vs press matchup and the game should have plenty of midfield battles and energy, although neither side has been totally in control of late.
Heerenveen's 1.71 favorites odds are better than Excelsior's 4.1 or the 4.1 draw odds but the visitors have yet to lose away from home in Eredivisie 2026-2027, so a close, fast-paced game is expected. Both sides will be looking to break the game open, so the over 2.5 goals bet at 1.44 looks good, especially as neither side seems likely to sit back.
