SBV Excelsior welcome Go Ahead Eagles to the Van Donge & De Roo Stadion on 7 November 2026 for Round 12 of the Eredivisie. Excelsior sit 15th with 11 points from 11 games and are firmly in a relegation fight, their recent run including a 0-9 home hammering by FC Twente, whereas Go Ahead arrive 10th on 14 points, inconsistent in their away fixtures but sharp enough in front of goal to punish a defence as exposed as Excelsior's. Both sides need points for very different reasons: Excelsior to arrest a slide toward the bottom three, Go Ahead to avoid slipping back into the bottom half after a patchy October. There is no documented head to head record between the two managers, Ruben den Uil, who took charge at Excelsior on 1 July 2024 and Joseph Oosting, appointed at Go Ahead on 11 June 2026 after Melvin Boel departed.
Excelsior arrive on the back of five league games without a win: L L L L D. That run includes the catastrophic 0-9 home defeat to FC Twente on 1 November, during which Nesto Groen was sent off after just five minutes. Go Ahead have been only marginally steadier, their most recent outing a 0-4 loss away to SC Cambuur on 31 October that extended a winless run to six away league fixtures. Between them these two sides shipped thirteen goals in their last two games alone, so a low scoring affair seems unlikely.
Excelsior must cope without Groen, serving a three match ban following his red card against Twente, whose early dismissal left them badly exposed and contributed directly to the scale of that defeat. Go Ahead are without Marsman and Saathof, both listed as unavailable, forcing adjustments across midfield and defence.
Excelsior's 4 3 3 is built on playing out from the back, yet this approach has repeatedly led to defensive collapses, especially at home. Irakli Yegoian operates in a midfield attacking role with Aymen Sliti and David Garden flanking him, though without Groen screening in front of the back four there is an obvious gap for Go Ahead to exploit. Go Ahead's 4 2 3 1 is built around high pressing and rapid transitions, with Soren Tengstedt, the joint Eredivisie top scorer on roughly eight goals, leading the line and having already found the net in recent meetings between these clubs. Tengstedt's movement in behind will test whether Excelsior's centre backs can hold a high line without Groen there to screen them, while Yegoian and Sliti will look to find space when Go Ahead's press leaves gaps behind their defensive line.
Go Ahead hold the stronger head to head record, winning the last three meetings without conceding, including a 1-0 at this ground on 1 March 2026 and across the last nine to thirteen meetings they hold five to six wins to Excelsior's one or two. Tengstedt has a habit of scoring in these fixtures, which only deepens Excelsior's defensive concerns, though Go Ahead's current away form is poor enough that the historical patterns may not hold as cleanly as they once did.
Excelsior's need to score from set pieces is growing with every week they spend near the bottom and with neither side likely to sit deep, there should be space for the creative players on both sides to operate from the first whistle.
The predicted score is 3-3. Without Groen screening in front of the back four, Tengstedt has more room to receive in behind and Go Ahead's away defensive record is poor enough that Yegoian, Sliti and Garden should find openings too, particularly if Go Ahead push for a second or third goal. Excelsior's home desperation adds another volatile variable to an already unstable mix.
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?.
