Excelsior vs Twente prediction, team news and preview

Excelsior vs Twente: what the match decides

Excelsior host Twente at the Van Donge & De Roo Stadion on Sunday 1 November 2026 in Round 11 of the Eredivisie. The match decides whether Excelsior can stop a slide that has produced one league win in their last five, or whether Twente tighten their grip on the top four.

The table shows the gap. Twente are fourth on 20 points from 10 games (six wins, two draws, two defeats) with a goal difference of +9. Excelsior are 13th on 11 points, with three wins, two draws and five defeats and a goal difference of -3. Feyenoord lead the division on 24 points, so Twente are four points off the top.

Our early lean is a Twente win. That rests on defensive form and away scoring, and the rest of this preview sets out why.

Excelsior and Twente recent form

Excelsior's last five games read DLLLW across all competitions: one win, one draw and three defeats, with six goals scored (1.2 per game) and 12 conceded (2.4 per game). They kept one clean sheet and failed to score twice. The only win was a 3-0 KNVB Beker success at MVV on 28 October. In the league their form is LLLDL, with defeats at Heerenveen (0-4) and Fortuna Sittard (0-1) after the 1-5 home loss to Groningen.

That Groningen game is their only home match in the recent sample, and it shows how exposed they have been: one scored and five conceded. Four of their last five games have gone over 2.5 goals, which points to a side that struggles to control matches.

Twente's last five are DWLWW: three wins, one draw and one defeat, with nine scored (1.8 per game) and four conceded (0.8 per game). They have two clean sheets and have scored in every one of the five games. Their three recent away matches brought two wins and a draw, with seven scored and two conceded (2.33 and 0.67 per game).

The latest result was a 2-0 win at AZ Alkmaar on 25 October. Before that they won 4-1 at Lincoln Red Imps in the Europa Conference League. Their only loss in the run was 1-2 at home to Utrecht.

Excelsior vs Twente team news

Twente have four players ruled out. M. Bruns and F. Thorvaldsen are listed as out and inactive, S. Lemkin is out with a muscle injury and D. Weidmann is out through a red card. L. Unnerstall (inactive) and B. van Rooij (injury) are doubtful.

The data does not say which of these players start regularly, so the effect on the XI is hard to judge. The squad has coped recently, with only one defeat in the last five, and the 2-0 win at AZ shows it can win away while shorthanded. Any late word on the two doubtful players will be clearer once line-ups are published.

Storylines: a slump against a top-four side

For Excelsior, the story is the run of three straight league defeats before the cup win, and the 12 goals conceded in their last five. They sit 13th, and the home loss to Groningen was heavy. A first league win in four would be a clear reset.

For Twente, the story is balance. They are fourth, with a place marked for Conference League play-offs in the table data, and they are playing in Europe at the same time. They have taken seven points from the last nine in the league if the Utrecht defeat is counted, and they bounced back from it with a win at AZ.

The match can shift the picture for both. A Twente win would move them to 23 points, one behind Feyenoord's current 24. An Excelsior win would lift them to 14 points and ease some pressure in the lower half.

Where Excelsior vs Twente will be decided

The main contest is Twente's away attack against Excelsior's defence. Twente average 2.33 goals per away game in the recent sample, while Excelsior concede 2.4 per game overall and five in their last home match. If that gap holds, Twente should create enough to win.

The other side is less one-sided. Excelsior have scored 1.2 per game recently and failed to score twice in five, while Twente have conceded only 0.8 per game with two clean sheets. Excelsior will probably need an early goal, because the data shows few signs of them chasing a game.

Tempo is the third factor. Excelsior's heavy defeats came when they were open, and Twente's wins have come with a controlled shape. If Excelsior keep it tight early, the match could stay closer than the table suggests, as several previous meetings did.

Excelsior vs Twente head-to-head

The six meetings in our data, all in the Eredivisie, show Twente with three wins, Excelsior with one and two draws. The games averaged 2.33 goals, with three going over 2.5 and only one in which both teams scored.

The most recent meeting was a 0-0 draw at Twente on 24 January 2026. Before that Excelsior won 1-0 at home on 30 August 2025, their only success in the sample. Twente's three wins were 4-0, 4-2 and 3-0, and the 4-2 win was the only game where both teams scored.

The history says Excelsior have been hard to beat at times, with two goalless draws in six. It also says that when Twente win, they tend to win clearly.

Excelsior vs Twente prediction

Our lean is a Twente win. They have the better league position, the stronger recent defensive numbers (0.8 conceded per game against 2.4) and a good away record. Excelsior's home record in the sample is a single heavy defeat.

On goals, we lean towards a match with two or three goals, with some chance of more. Excelsior's games have gone over 2.5 in four of five, but the head-to-head has been quieter, with an average of 2.33 and a goalless draw in the latest meeting. A Twente win by a goal or two is the most likely shape.

The main risks to that read are Twente's four absences and two doubts, and the cup-and-Europe schedule they have played through. An early Excelsior goal would also change the match. MATCH PULSE's three AI engines (GPT, Claude and Gemini) publish their independent analysis of the match before kick-off.

How to watch Excelsior vs Twente

No official broadcasters are listed in our data for this match. Check the Eredivisie's official broadcast partner in your country and its official app for live coverage on Sunday 1 November 2026.

The kick-off time is shown on this page in your own time zone. Line-ups are normally confirmed about an hour before the game.

We have not listed this competition's broadcasters yet. Check the competition's official broadcast partner in your country and its official app.

Only official rights holders are listed; availability can change. Watching through unofficial streams is unsafe and unfair to the clubs.

Frequently asked questions