Preview: SBV Excelsior vs FC Utrecht - prediction, team news, lineups

Two teams in search of maximum points to boost their respective ambitions meet at Stadion Woudestein on Sunday, as SBV Excelsior entertain the challenge of FC Utrecht.

With FC Volendam not in action until later, a positive result would see the hosts temporarily move out of the drop zone, while a victory for Utrecht would take the visitors within two points of sixth place with a game in hand.

Match preview

Having drawn the curtain on 2025 just three points adrift of a European place, it seemed unfathomable that Excelsior would be involved in a relegation fight four games to the end of the season, but their woeful form in 2026 has made that a reality.

Ruben den Uil’s side have managed just one win from 14 attempts this year and were 10 minutes away from a seventh defeat in eight last time out, only for Szymon Wlodarczyk to strike late and salvage a 2-2 draw with PEC Zwolle.

Inside the Eredivisie bottom three on goal difference alone, De Roodzwarten are still in control of their top-flight destiny ahead of their penultimate home match of the season, before a crucial relegation six-pointer against Volendam in their home finale.

Given their predicament, Excelsior will be wary of a 12-match winless run against Utrecht in all competitions since October 2015, although they are unbeaten in three of the last four home meetings.

With time running out, Sunday’s hosts will need every ounce of support from their fans, and grabbing the opening goal could help settle nerves. However, they have conceded first in six of their last seven matches.

In a match that confirmed PSV Eindhoven as the 2025-26 Eredivisie champions, Utrecht saw a hard-fought point snatched away at the death by a 94th-minute winner, bringing a dramatic end to a seven-goal thriller and halting their seven-game unbeaten run.

Ron Jans’s men wasted no time in returning to winning ways, delivering a comprehensive 4-1 demolition of relegation-threatened Telstar for their third consecutive home victory since March 1.

Now facing back-to-back matches against relegation battlers, seventh-placed De Domstedelingen aim to ramp up their European push, sitting just two points behind Sparta Rotterdam in 10th and within reach of AZ Alkmaar just above them.

Utrecht’s defeat to PSV earlier this month marked their first away loss in six matches. Having not suffered back-to-back league defeats on the road since October, this weekend’s visitors will be confident of bouncing back on their travels.

While Excelsior have been plagued by their tendency to concede first, Utrecht have developed a knack for striking early—scoring the opener in six of their last seven matches ahead of the trip to Rotterdam.

SBV Excelsior Eredivisie form:

FC Utrecht Eredivisie form:

Team News

Miliano Jonathans and Hamdi Akujobi are both sidelined with anterior cruciate ligament injuries and are not expected to feature again for Excelsior this season.

Stan Henderikx and Mathijs Tielemans are also set to miss out on Sunday, but Jerroldino Bergraaf could return, having been fit enough for a place on the bench last time out.

Victor Jensen has not featured since January 18 due to a knee injury, while Miguel Rodriguez also remains sidelined.

Seventeen-year-old Jaygo van Ommeren is still nursing a back problem, and Emirhan Demircan is a recent addition to the injury list with a hamstring issue.

After scoring off the bench in back-to-back matches, Jesper Karlsson will be pushing for a start and could be rewarded here.

SBV Excelsior possible starting lineup:

Van Gassel; Zagre, Schouten, Widell, Bronkhorst; Naujoks, Hartjes, Yegoian; Fernandes, Wlodarczyk, De Regt

FC Utrecht possible starting lineup:

Barkas; El Karouani, Van der Hoorn, Didden, Vesterlund; De Wit, Engwanda; Cathline, Karlsson, Alarcon; Stepanov