Preview: Willem II vs SBV Excelsior - prediction, team news, lineups

Willem II host SBV Excelsior at the Koning Willem II Stadion in Tilburg on Saturday in the Eredivisie, hoping to put smiles on the faces of their fans.

John Stegeman’s side enter the weekend after a battling 2-2 draw with Heerenveen ended their two-match losing start, while Ruben den Uil’s team are buoyed by a Rotterdam derby win over Sparta following an opening-day rout of Cambuur and a narrow defeat by PSV Eindhoven.

Match preview

Willem II have not won a league match since returning to the Eredivisie, and Saturday brings the first realistic chance to end that run.

Stegeman's side went up as third-placed finishers from the Eerste Divisie last season, beating Volendam on penalties in the play-off final after a 3-3 aggregate score.

Three matchdays back in the top flight have brought one point, four goals scored and 10 conceded, a defensive record that has left Tilburg anxious rather than celebratory.

Both head-to-head history and early-season form point toward goals, and the Tricolores need this Saturday to start turning bright performances into points.

The two sides have met six times across the past decade, with two wins apiece and two draws, with the most recent meeting, in December 2022, ending in a 3-1 win for Willem II.

Excelsior go to Tilburg on Saturday in far better shape than the club that greeted their own return to the Eredivisie only 16 months ago.

Den Uil's side were relegated at the end of the 2023-24 season after two years in the top flight, then bounced straight back by finishing second in the Eerste Divisie.

A first season back brought 38 points and 13th place, comfortable enough to avoid the play-off places by six points.

Three matches into their second season since promotion, the Kralingers sit ninth with six points.

Their opening-day trip to Cambuur produced a statement 4-0 win, with Naujoks scoring twice and further goals from David Garden and Irakli Yegoian.

A 1-2 home defeat to PSV Eindhoven brought them back to earth, but Excelsior responded last weekend with a 2-1 win over Sparta Rotterdam in the Rotterdam derby.

Three matches have brought seven goals scored, three conceded and six points, form that puts Excelsior comfortably clear of the relegation zone they occupied for large stretches of last season.

Willem II Eredivisie form:

SBV Excelsior Eredivisie form:

Team News

Nathan Tjoe-A-On has been the standout attacking outlet from left-back, leading the entire Eredivisie for big chances created with four, and he has already registered two assists this season.

Calvin Twigt was outstanding in the draw with Heerenveen, creating five chances including three rated as big opportunities, and he is expected to keep his place alongside the more defensively-minded Kasper Boogaard in central midfield.

Eser Gurbuz and Jaden Slory are set to provide the width again, with Van Aalst operating centrally in behind Haen, who has scored twice in three league appearances and remains the club's main penalty-box threat.

Naujoks is Excelsior's leading scorer again this season with two goals in three matches, Yegoian has been the club's most productive creator so far, contributing to the opening-day rout of Cambuur and continuing to lead the team's chance creation in league play.

Den Uil has generally kept faith with the spine of last season's survival side, and the same defensive discipline that made Woudestein hard to score against last term will be needed away from home this weekend.

Willem II possible starting lineup:

De Leeuw; Ter Avest, Stam, Hoogma, Tjoe-A-On; Boogaard, Twigt; Gurbuz, Van Aalst, Slory; Haen

SBV Excelsior possible starting lineup:

Van Gassel; Meissen, Widell, Plug, Janssen; Hartjes, Yegoian, Van Vianen; Sliti, Garden, Thorsteinsson

We say: Willem II 1-2 SBV Excelsior

Willem II showed real signs of life in the Heerenveen draw, but a defensive record of 10 goals conceded in three matches is too leaky to trust against a team that scored four at Cambuur.

Excelsior's counter-attacking approach, built around Naujoks and Yegoian, should find space against a Willem II back line still adjusting to the pace of the top flight, but the visitor’s extra sharpness in front of goal should be enough to settle this one in Rotterdam's favour.

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