Fortuna Sittard v Excelsior: level on points and chasing breathing space | OneFootball

Fortuna Sittard host Excelsior in the Eredivisie on Friday, 20 February 2026 at the Fortuna Sittard Stadion, with both sides locked on 26 points and aiming to edge away from mid-table traffic.

The hosts sit 11th with the visitors 12th, separated only by goal difference. Recent head to head tilts are tight: Fortuna have three wins in the last seven meetings, Excelsior two, with two draws. The most recent clash in October saw Excelsior win 1-0.

Form is mixed. Fortuna have one win, one draw and three defeats in their last five league games, including a heavy loss at Ajax last weekend. Excelsior were unbeaten in four, three draws and a win, before falling to AZ.

Availability could matter. Fortuna are without Daley Sinkgraven, first choice goalkeeper Mattijs Branderhorst, Justin Lonwijk, Ramazan Bayram and Luka Tunjić through injury, thinning defensive and goalkeeping options. Excelsior travel without suspended defender Ilias Bronkhorst.

Season profiles hint at the route to goal. Fortuna have scored 34 to Excelsior's 25 and may lean on wide service, having delivered 282 open play crosses at 23.40% accuracy and produced eight headed goals. Kaj Sierhuis leads their league tally with eight, while Mohammed Ihattaren has six assists. Excelsior average 1.1 goals per game but have five clean sheets. Noah Naujoks is their top league scorer with six.

Both teams are on 26 points. A win would take either to 29 and could nudge them towards the top half and further from the relegation places. Defeat would keep them looking over their shoulders.