Cambuur vs. SBV Excelsior - prediction, team news, lineups

Back successful the Eredivisie aft a three-year absence, Cambuur big SBV Excelsior successful Friday's top-flight opener astatine Kooi Stadion, aiming to commencement the play positively.

That ambition volition beryllium tested considering the league returnees' three-match losing tally heading into gameweek one, portion their visitors were unblemished successful pre-season heading into Friday's contest.

Match preview

It took 3 years, but Cambuur are backmost successful the apical flight, having mislaid their Eredivisie presumption successful 2023 pursuing a 17th-placed finish.

A dismal 2023-24 13th-placed decorativeness successful the 2nd tier was followed by placing 3rd and making the post-season playoffs, lone to autumn to FC Den Bosch successful the archetypal round.

Not to beryllium denied successful 2025-26, Johan Plat guided the Yellow-Blues backmost into the large time, and SCC present purpose to commencement the run encouragingly.

However, small oregon nary momentum threatens to thwart that aspiration, with Plat's men entering Friday's opener connected a three-match losing run.

The team's dearth of cleanable sheets successful their tune-up games — 1 shutout successful 7 matches — efficaciously continues their inability to support opponents retired since the crook of the year, conceding successful 15 of 17 second-tier matches successful 2026.

SCC's tally to adjacent retired the Eerste Divisie run followed 9 cleanable sheets successful their opening 21 matches, and Excelsior volition look to exploit the location team's ongoing leaky rearguard.

Indeed, entering the commencement of the home play with importantly healthier signifier adds to the visiting club's positivity earlier their travel to Leeuwarden.

The Kralingers were amazingly unblemished successful the off-season, securing wins successful each 5 matches, including 1 against Friday's opponents astatine the commencement of July.

That 3-2 triumph began a series of 5 triumphs against Dordrecht, NAC Breda, Heracles Almelo and, precise recently, De Graafschap to commencement the caller month.

Notable, however, has been the Rotterdam-based club's inclination to outscore their opponents, with the Paper Recycling Club keeping 1 cleanable expanse successful their five-match winning run, during which they person fto successful 2 goals successful July's 3-2 triumph implicit Cambuur and 3 successful past month's 5-3 occurrence implicit Heracles.

Having ended the erstwhile play claiming 11 points from their last 5 games, Ruben den Uil's men transportation an 11-match streak without losing into the 2026-27 campaign, making them favourites for the Eredivisie kick-off

Cambuur friendlies form:

SBV Excelsior affable form:

Team News

Daan Visser has not played for Cambuur since September past year, and the midfielder's semipermanent genu wounded keeps him retired of this weekend's opener.

With past season's starring goalscorers Ichem Ferrah and Oscar Sjostrand, who contributed 22 goals successful total, nary longer astatine the club, Plat's squad indispensable find match-winners from elsewhere this season.

Given that nary players person been signed for a interest this summer, SCC are efficaciously relying connected a surfeit of younker arrivals from section and different European clubs to adhd to their wide depth.

The visitors bash not person the fearfulness of not having a sure-fire goalscorer successful their team, with Gyan de Regt scoring 5 goals successful 4 pre-season appearances, including braces against Heracles and De Graafschap.

Backed by Irakli Yegoian, who netted 3 times successful Roodzwarten's tune-up games, Den Uil tin trust connected 2 in-form players to present the goods against the Yellow-Blues.

Although the visitors bash not person immoderate wounded worries heading into gameweek one, Mainz 05 loanee Kasey Boss is simply a apt absentee with a reported enarthrosis injury.

Cambuur imaginable starting lineup:

Jansen; Mulders, Baouf, Amofa, Berkhout; Hamache, Apkakou, Souren; Henstra, Van de Pavert, Kvam

SBV Excelsior imaginable starting lineup:

Van Gassel; Meissen, Widell, Cairo, Henderikx; Naujoks, Hartjes, Yegoian; Groen, De Regt, Tielemans

We say: Cambuur 1-3 SBV Excelsior

It is hard to backmost anyone different than Excelsior to grounds different Eredivisie victory, arsenic they person signifier connected their broadside and person aggregate threats to beryllium connected against promoted Cambuur.

As such, the visitors should notch a sixth triumph connected the trot and 4th triumph successful six Eredivisie games, going backmost to the erstwhile season, to statesman 2026-27 connected a winning note.

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