Preview: NEC vs SBV Excelsior - prediction, team news, lineups

NEC Nijmegen host Excelsior Rotterdam at the Goffertstadion in Nijmegen on Tuesday in an Eredivisie fixture originally pencilled in for round three of the season.

The match was postponed from its original date of Saturday, August 22 after NEC advanced past Olympiakos in Champions League qualifying, with the KNVB confirming in advance that the rearranged fixture would fall on September 8 at 18:45 CEST if NEC lost their Champions League play-off and dropped into the Europa League, which is exactly what has happened.

Match preview

NEC have won two of their four Eredivisie matches so far this season, and both wins have oddly come on the road.

Dick Schreuder's side lost 1-2 at home to Telstar on the opening weekend before winning 4-1 away at Willem II, then winning 3-1 away at PEC Zwolle, and then losing 1-3 at home to Feyenoord on September 5.

That leaves NEC winless in both of their home Eredivisie matches this season, a curious blot on a squad that has otherwise looked sharp on its travels.

Adam Tahaui scored on his full debut in the rout of Willem II, adding to goals from Tjaronn Chery, Bryan Linssen and Kaj Sierhuis.

The bigger story of NEC's month came in Europe, where a 6-1 aggregate defeat to Bodo/Glimt in the Champions League play-off round ended their hopes of a first-ever group-stage campaign in the competition.

Goalkeeper Gonzalo Crettaz was shown a straight red card inside three minutes of the second leg in Norway, and NEC never recovered, shipping nine shots on target across the tie.

That result drops Schreuder's side into the Europa League league phase instead, with a trip to Juventus' Allianz Stadium on September 17 now looming seven days after this Excelsior fixture.

Darko Nejasmic offered a rare bright spot against Feyenoord, marking his first appearance back from injury with a fine first-time volley to briefly level the scores at 1-1.

Excelsior have won three of their four Eredivisie matches under Ruben den Uil, with their sole defeat coming at home to champions PSV, to sit fourth in the table heading into Nijmegen.

The Rotterdam club opened the campaign with a 4-0 win away at Cambuur, matching their joint-biggest away victory in the club's history.

PSV then won 1-2 in Rotterdam in matchday two, with Casper Widell's reply for Excelsior sandwiched between goals from Ruben van Bommel and Ricardo Pepi, the latter of whom came on as a second-half substitute alongside former NEC midfielder Kodai Sano on his PSV debut.

Excelsior have won every match since, beating Sparta Rotterdam 2-1 at home before a comfortable 3-0 victory at Willem II on September 5 that lifted them into fourth place.

David Garden scored inside eight minutes at Willem II, Rick Meissen doubled the lead before half time with his first senior goal, and Irakli Yegoian added a third in the 85th minute after latching onto a long clearance from goalkeeper Stijn van Gassel.

Summer signing Alireza Jahanbakhsh, a former NEC winger among his previous clubs, adds a layer of know-your-opponent intrigue to his first competitive return to Nijmegen in Excelsior colours.

NEC Eredivisie form:

NEC form (all competitions):

SBV Excelsior Eredivisie form:

SBV Excelsior form (all competitions):

Team News

Nejasmic's goalscoring return from injury against Feyenoord is the standout fitness boost for Schreuder heading into this match, with the midfielder expected to keep his place.

Sami Ouaissa, Ahmetcan Kaplan, Thomas Ouwejan and Yassin Moslih have all been sidelined by injury in recent weeks, thinning out Schreuder's options in defence and midfield.

For the visitors, Van Gassel, at 35 years old the most experienced player in Den Uil's squad, has started all four Eredivisie matches so far and remains first-choice in goal.

Garden and Yegoian have both scored in Excelsior's last two matches and look set to lead the line again on Tuesday.

Meissen's first senior goal at Willem II gives Den Uil a genuine selection headache in a young squad that was already the second-youngest starting XI in the division on the opening weekend.

NEC possible starting lineup:

Crettaz; Pereira, Fonville, Storm; Nejasmic, Tadic, Lebreton, Bischoff; Chery; Linssen, Sierhuis

SBV Excelsior possible starting lineup:

Van Gassel; Janssen, Plug, Widell, Meissen; Yegoian, Hartjes, Vianen; Timas, Sliti, Groen

We say: NEC 1-2 SBV Excelsior

NEC have won both of their Eredivisie away matches this season but lost both at home, and a squad still shaking off a chastening Champions League exit looks vulnerable to an Excelsior side that has won three of its last four and arrives full of confidence.

NEC still hold the head-to-head edge, winning four of the last five meetings between the sides, but that record was built during Excelsior's difficult 2025-26 relegation fight rather than against the version of the club that has already beaten Cambuur, Sparta Rotterdam and Willem II this season.

Eight of the last nine meetings between these two sides have produced over 2.5 goals, and with both teams committed to attacking football, another open contest at the Goffertstadion looks likely.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.