Excelsior host FC Utrecht at the Van Donge & De Roo Stadion on 13 September 2026, Eredivisie Matchday 6. Excelsior sit fourth after five matches with ten points from three wins, a draw and a loss, whereas Utrecht are fifteenth with just two points from five games and no wins yet. The home side have outperformed expectations through compact defending and sharp counter attacks, while Utrecht have already conceded eighteen goals and are running out of road fast.
Ruben den Uil took charge at Excelsior on 1 July 2024, replacing Marinus Dijkhuizen and Anthony Correia arrived at Utrecht on 1 July 2026 to replace Ron Jans - making this their first meeting as managers, with nothing to draw on in terms of prior head to head history.
Excelsior have been inconsistent but productive. Their last five results read: 2-2 vs NEC Nijmegen (8 September), 0-3 vs Willem II (5 September), 2-1 vs Sparta Rotterdam (29 August), 1-2 vs PSV Eindhoven (15 August) and a 4-0 thrashing of Cambuur on 7 August. Utrecht's record over the same period is genuinely alarming: 3-3 vs Go Ahead Eagles (8 September), 1-6 vs PSV (30 August), 3-3 vs Sparta Rotterdam (22 August), 1-4 at AZ Alkmaar (15 August) and 1-2 at FC Groningen (9 August).
Excelsior are without Noah Naujoks, who is listed as inactive and will be missed in midfield rotation. Utrecht have a bigger problem: Alonzo Engwanda (hamstring), Victor Jensen (knee), Miliano Jonathans (knee) and Noah Ohio (knee) are all out, stripping depth from both attack and midfield. Michael Brouwer has also departed for Sparta, leaving Vasilis Barkas as the undisputed number one with Sergio Padt as backup.
Excelsior operate in a compact 3-4-2-1 that values defensive shape over possession by sitting deep and closing off central space before springing attacks quickly through midfield. Irakli Yegoian has been the engine of it all, picking up two goals and three assists already this season as the link between defence and attack. David Garden provides the finishing threat up front, Rick Meissen and Casper Widell anchor the back three and Stijn van Gassel has been solid in goal.
Utrecht prefer a more open 3-4-3 and will try to dominate possession but their defensive structure has collapsed under pressure all season. With Engwanda and Jensen missing, Dani de Wit will be carrying much of the midfield work on his own, which is a lot to ask. Artem Stepanov leads their scoring with four league goals and will look for space in behind Excelsior's wing backs, while Matisse Didden faces the unenviable task of organising a back three that has looked shaky from the start.
Excelsior's set pieces are a real threat given how poorly Utrecht have defended deliveries into the box this season. Four missing players may force the visitors into a more direct game but Yegoian's ability to carry the ball past the first press and the gaps created by Utrecht's committed 3-4-3 mean Den Uil's side will find room to hurt them on the break.
Utrecht have the better historical record in this fixture overall but recent history runs the other way: Excelsior put five past them without reply on 26 April 2026.
Excelsior's defensive discipline and dead ball threat are their most reliable weapons here. Utrecht's 3-4-3 commits bodies forward and should create chances but their inability to keep clean sheets this season means they will leave space on the break and four missing players make it harder still for the visitors to control midfield or hold their defensive shape. Utrecht need points badly enough that they may push forward even when it is not wise.
This looks like a 3-3. Excelsior have the structure and confidence to get in front through set pieces and the counter but Stepanov and Utrecht's attack are dangerous enough to keep scoring even when things are not going their way. The four absences leave gaps that Excelsior should be able to find, yet Utrecht playing openly means they will almost certainly create their own chances too. Another 5-0 feels out of the question, a goal fest where neither side manages to hold a lead for long feels right.
Ryan Baldi
Football Writer
Ryan Baldi is a professional football writer with years of experience and has been featured by respected outlets such as the BBC, The Guardian, Sky Sports, DAZN, FourFourTwo, ESPN, Yahoo Sport and Football365. He has also written several books including Arsène Who?.
