Preview: SBV Excelsior vs PEC Zwolle - prediction, team news, lineups

Aiming to draw the curtain on 2025 with a victory, SBV Excelsior and PEC Zwolle will face off against each other at Stadion Woudestein on Saturday evening.

Starting the day just three points apart in the Eredivisie table, the sides have had fairly equal starts to the 2025-26 campaign ahead of its midway point.

Match preview

After recording consecutive victories for the first time this term, Excelsior were unable to continue their recent resurgence against Groningen, who ran out 2-0 winners when the teams locked horns on December 5.

Thom van Bergen's opener just past the hour mark and a Stije Resink penalty in second-half stoppage time saw Ruben den Uil's men come away empty-handed from a highly entertaining affair.

Having recorded 16 points from 15 league outings so far, De Roodzwarten remain just two points shy of the bottom three, meaning a defeat in their upcoming encounter could see them end 2025 inside the relegation playoff spot.

Winless in their last 12 league matches against Zwolle, Excelsior have a wretched record in this fixture, where they lost both of last season's affairs.

With only Ajax, Utrecht and Groningen conceding fewer goals, Saturday's hosts have been tough to breach on home turf and will hope that defensive solidity comes to the fore this weekend.

However, Excelsior have also had issues finding the back of the net in front of their fans with just six goals in eight matches, the lowest of any team in the Dutch top flight.

Following back-to-back defeats against AZ Alkmaar and Feyenoord to start December, Zwolle secured a much-needed return to winning ways by narrowly beating Fortuna Sittard 1-0 on Saturday.

Netting for a third successive game, Koen Kostons continued his rich vein of form to hand Henry van der Vegt's men all three points, moving them up to 11th in the standings, four points off European contention.

Winless in league action on the road since August, De Blauwvingers will need to address their away woes, which have seen them manage just six points from a possible 24 and concede a league-high 25 goals.

Still, Zwolle will head to Rotterdam with the wind in their sails, having amassed 10 points from their last five league outings, behind only league leaders PSV Eindhoven (15) and NEC (13).

Scoring first has usually served as a platform to build upon in matches, and Zwolle will be aiming to break the deadlock for the seventh time in eight outings when they head to Rotterdam this weekend.

SBV Excelsior Eredivisie form:

SBV Excelsior form (all competitions):

PEC Zwolle Eredivisie form:

PEC Zwolle form (all competitions):

Team News

Chris Kevin Nadje and Mathijs Tielemans both missed Excelsior's defeat to Groningen and are also unavailable for Saturday's clash.

Stijn Middendorp received his marching orders in the aforementioned game and is ineligible to feature this weekend, while Irakli Yegoian's involvement currently hangs in the balance due to illness.

Dutch trio Odysseus Velanas (ankle), Jasper Schendelaar (thigh), and Damian van der Haar (knee) are guaranteed absentees for Zwolle.

Braydon Manu remains without an appearance this term and misses out for the away side, who will also have to cope with the absence of Olivier Aertssen and Samir Lagsir.

With 12 direct Eredivisie goal contributions so far, the fourth-most of any player, Koen Kostons is one to keep an eye on as he seeks to extend his run of four matches recording a goal or an assist.

SBV Excelsior possible starting lineup:

Van Gassel; Bronkhorst, Widell, Meissen, Zagre; Hartjes, Schouten; Fernandes, Naujoks, De Regt; Bergraaf

PEC Zwolle possible starting lineup:

De Graaff; Gooijer, Graves, MacNulty, Floranus; Thomas, Oosting, Monteiro; Shoretire, Kostons, De Rooij

We say: SBV Excelsior 2-1 PEC Zwolle

Zwolle's eight away matches have produced a combined 38 goals, hinting that another entertaining affair is on the cards here.

Despite their goal-shy nature on home turf so far, Excelsior will back themselves to emerge victorious, and we are leaning towards a win for the hosts when all is said and done.

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