🏏 Sat, 5 Sep 2026 21:00 CEST
Willem II
vs
Excelsior
4-2-3-1 vs 5-4-1
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- Willem II sit 15th with a single point from three games (0W 1D 2L, four scored, ten conceded, minus-six goal difference) and host Excelsior, who are seventh on six points (2W 0D 1L, seven scored, three conceded, plus-four). That is a five-point gap and a ten-goal swing in goal difference. With PSV Eindhoven already on 13 points from five matches at the top, the hosts need a first win before the relegation picture hardens.
- Willem II's form line reads L-L-D. They were beaten 4-1 away at Go Ahead Eagles, then shipped four again at home in a 1-4 loss to NEC Nijmegen, before finally taking a point in a 2-2 draw with Heerenveen. Ten goals conceded in three outings is the most obvious problem for the coaching staff to solve here.
- Excelsior's run reads W-L-W. They opened with a commanding 4-0 win away at Cambuur, lost 1-2 at home to PSV Eindhoven in a tight contest, and then beat Sparta Rotterdam 2-1 on their own ground. Seven scored and only three conceded is upper-table form, and that defensive record is what has carried them to seventh.
- There is a reunion on the Willem II left. Nathan Tjoe-A-On, 24, came through spells at Heerenveen and Excelsior before a move to Swansea City in England, and he now faces his former club. A wing player who covers ground in both directions, he has to find a way past Excelsior's packed right side if the hosts are to stretch a back five.
- The shape battle is 4-2-3-1 against 5-4-1. Excelsior defend with five at the back and a bank of four ahead of them, so the question is whether Willem II's attacking trio can receive between the lines: 21-year-old Jaden Slory, signed from Feyenoord as the club's final piece of summer business, academy graduate Uriel van Aalst, 20, in the middle, and 19-year-old Eser Gurbuz, formerly of Heerenveen, on the left.
- The two midfields could hardly look more different. Willem II pair 183cm Calvin Twigt, previously at Volendam and Go Ahead Eagles, with 20-year-old Kasper Boogaard, an AZ academy product who brings range in possession. Excelsior counter with two small, mobile technicians in 170cm Lennard Hartjes and 168cm Georgian Irakli Yegoian, both in their early twenties and comfortable working in tight spaces.
- Excelsior's rearguard is built on height. Rick Meissen stands 190cm and 89kg, Casper Widell is a 192cm left-footed Swede who came through Helsingborgs IF and captained Sweden at U16 and U17 level, and 188cm Feyenoord academy graduate Jan Plug completes the tall group. Behind them is 29-year-old Stijn van Gassel, long a first-choice keeper at Helmond Sport who returned via NEC. That is an uncomfortable aerial assignment for 183cm Willem II striker Devin Haen, himself a Feyenoord product.
- Willem II are tackling their return to the top flight with a young, loan-heavy squad. Van Aalst (20), Boogaard (20) and Gurbuz (19) all start, while the defence includes 188cm Finn Stam, on loan from Jong AZ, and Belgian Mats Lemmens, a Genk youth product who has played for Lecce, Lecco and RWDM. Their one seasoned head is 29-year-old right-back Hidde ter Avest, a regular for years at Utrecht and Twente with a spell at Oxford United.
- The benches offer contrasting options. Willem II can turn to 34-year-old Thomas Verheydt, a 192cm target man with long service at ADO Den Haag and Go Ahead Eagles, plus 190cm left-footed centre-back Maxim Dekker from the AZ academy. Excelsior have 189cm Austrian Valentin Sulzbacher, schooled at Red Bull Salzburg, and Spaniard Mario Dominguez, on loan from Valencia, ready to change the second half.