Willem II v Excelsior: early survival fight meets top-half push | OneFootball

Willem II host Excelsior in the Eredivisie on Saturday, 5 September 2026 at the Koning Willem II Stadion in Tilburg, with the hosts seeking breathing space above the drop and the visitors aiming to cement a fast start.

Willem II sit 15th with one point from three games and a goal difference of minus six after a 2-2 draw with Heerenveen last time out. Excelsior are 8th on six points, having beaten Cambuur 4-0 away and Sparta Rotterdam 2-1 at home either side of a narrow loss to PSV.

The hosts have a lengthy absentee list: Thomas Didillon, Jari Schuurman, Amine Lachkar, Armin Culum and Anass Zarrouk are all injured. Excelsior are without Noah Naujoks and Mario Domínguez. Naujoks has two league goals this season, so his absence trims an early source of end product.

On the numbers, Willem II have scored four and conceded 10, with 34% possession and 71.36% passing accuracy so far. Nathan Tjoe-A-On leads their supply with two assists, while Devin Haen has two league goals and could carry the threat again. Excelsior have seven goals with four headers, 46% possession, 80.94% passing accuracy and a sharp 59.26% shooting accuracy, so deliveries into the box may be a profitable route.

A home win would move Willem II to four points and could nudge them further from the relegation places. Victory for Excelsior would take them to nine points and strengthen their top-half position.