Excelsior welcomes the champions after completely different starts to the season
Excelsior Rotterdam and PSV Eindhoven meet on Saturday, August 15 at 20:00 at Stadion Woudestein in Rotterdam, in the second round of the 2026/27 Eredivisie. The fixture comes only eight days after Excelsior opened the league campaign with an impressive 0-4 away win at SC Cambuur, while defending champions PSV drew 2-2 at home against Fortuna Sittard.
As a result, the early picture of the league looks unusual. After the matches played by late Saturday, Excelsior were first in the provisional standings with three points and a +4 goal difference, while PSV were sixth with one point. Some clubs had still not played their opening-round matches at that time, so the standings should be viewed only as an early snapshot of the season.
The contrast is particularly interesting when looking at last season. PSV finished first with 84 points and a +56 goal difference, while Excelsior were 13th with 38 points. Now Ruben den Uil's team gets the opportunity to test in front of its own supporters how much the result in Leeuwarden really means against a side that convincingly won the title the previous season.
Tickets for this match are in demand among supporters. Woudestein is a compact stadium, so a match against PSV represents one of those fixtures for which interest is traditionally felt more strongly than for an average league game.
Excelsior showed in the first round why the result was no accident
The 0-4 result against SC Cambuur looks dominant, but more important is how it was achieved. Excelsior did not wait deep in their own half for mistakes from the home side. Pressure on the player in possession and quickly attacking space after winning the ball repeatedly caused Cambuur problems.
For the first goal, Daniël van Vianen created space through pressure, Gyan de Regt carried the ball toward the penalty area and found Irakli Yegoian, who finished the move. For the second goal, another press, this time by Jan Plug, allowed David Garden to take possession around midfield. The move ended with an assist from Yegoian and a goal by Noah Naujoks.
Excelsior were 0-3 ahead by halftime, and after the break they did not simply defend their advantage. Naujoks scored his second goal from a set piece to make the final score 0-4.
- Noah Naujoks - two goals against SC Cambuur and the captain's role.
- Irakli Yegoian - a goal and involvement in the move for the second goal.
- David Garden - a headed goal on his Eredivisie debut.
- Gyan de Regt - a direct threat from the wing and an important role in the first goal.
- Stijn van Gassel - a clean sheet away from home in the opening round.
It is particularly interesting how dangerous Excelsior were from different situations. The first goal came after a transition, the second after winning possession and launching a quick attack, the third after a short corner, and the fourth once again from a set piece. That leaves PSV with more problems to prepare for than if this were simply a team waiting for space to counterattack.
Naujoks, Yegoian and Garden immediately set the standard
Naujoks already has two league goals after the first round. His value against PSV will not be limited to his runs into finishing positions. Excelsior will need midfielders who can survive periods without the ball, close the space between the lines and then calmly enough play the first pass after winning possession.
Against Cambuur, Yegoian showed how troublesome he can be when moving inside from the right. De Regt, on the other side, is capable of attacking open space with pace. If PSV push their back line high, Excelsior's first pass toward those areas will be one of the key points of the match.
Garden scored immediately on his debut, but the competition around him has become even stronger. On August 8, Excelsior brought in Mario Domínguez on a one-year loan from Valencia CF Mestalla. The striker scored 19 goals the previous season, including a run of ten goals in eight consecutive matches. The club describes him as a quick and hard-working striker who attacks space well.
A few days earlier, Aymen Sliti, a 20-year-old winger on loan from Feyenoord, also arrived. He already came off the bench against Cambuur. That gives Den Uil more options for attacking changes if PSV take complete control of possession in the second half.
PSV arrive in Rotterdam under earlier pressure than expected
PSV opened the season as defending champions, but their first competitive results did not provide a calm start. After a 0-4 defeat against AZ in the Dutch Super Cup, Peter Bosz's team failed to beat Fortuna Sittard in the opening league round. It finished 2-2 at Philips Stadion.
One point from the first league match is not dramatic in a competition that lasts 34 rounds, but an away match against a team coming directly from a 0-4 victory takes on a different psychological context. PSV do not want to enter a sequence of matches as early as August in which they must keep repairing the previous result.
Bosz still has a group of players accustomed to dominating possession and keeping opponents pinned in their own half for long periods. The squad includes, among others, Ricardo Pepi, Ivan Perišić, Ruben van Bommel, Dennis Man, Guus Til, Paul Wanner, Sven Mijnans, Ryan Flamingo, Mauro Júnior and Yarek Gasiorowski.
An important change for the match in Rotterdam could be the return of Joey Veerman. After his red card against AZ, his suspension was reduced to two matches, one of them suspended. He missed the league opener against Fortuna, so unless there are further changes to the team's situation, he should be available again for Excelsior.
That is significant because Veerman can change the direction of an attack with a single pass. Against a team that wants to close down the middle of the pitch aggressively, his ability to find players between the lines and switch play diagonally can help PSV avoid becoming stuck on one side.
PSV are also continuing to adjust their midfield. Kodai Sano arrived from N.E.C. Nijmegen on August 8 and signed a contract until mid-2031. The club sees him as a dynamic option in the number-six position, with an intensity that suits the team's style of play. His integration into the system will be one of the more interesting stories at the start of the season.
Jerdy Schouten is in a different situation. In April he suffered a cruciate ligament injury that required surgery. He did not feature in the league opener, and without new confirmation of his return he should not be considered a certain option for Woudestein.
Tactical battle: can Excelsior press PSV without opening too much space?
Excelsior's biggest problem will be finding the boundary between courage and risk. Against Cambuur, the high press produced turnovers in very useful areas. Against PSV, the same approach can come at a higher cost if the visitors play through the first line of pressure.
PSV have players who can technically solve pressure with short combinations. If Excelsior's midfield pushes too high, the space behind it becomes available to players arriving between the lines. It would therefore not be surprising if Den Uil alternates aggressive pressing periods with a more compact mid-block.
Four situations are particularly interesting for the home side:
- pressure immediately after PSV's pass toward a wide player;
- a quick break through De Regt or Yegoian after winning the ball;
- set pieces, from which Excelsior already scored twice against Cambuur;
- attacking the space behind PSV's high defensive line.
PSV, on the other hand, will try to reduce the number of such transitions. The longer the visitors keep the ball and force Excelsior to move from one side to the other, the harder it will be for the home side to maintain the intensity from the opening round.
One detail worth watching is the behavior of the home midfielders when PSV lose the ball. The first pass will not always have to go forward. Sometimes the greatest value will come from keeping possession for a few seconds, escaping the first counter-press and only then looking for the quick players.
Head-to-head results at Woudestein strongly favor PSV
Excelsior have made a good start to the new season, but the recent history of this fixture in Rotterdam shows how difficult the task is. PSV have won their last five league away matches at Excelsior shown in their head-to-head record.
- Excelsior - PSV 1-2, September 27, 2025.
- Excelsior - PSV 0-2, April 2, 2024.
- Excelsior - PSV 1-6, August 28, 2022.
- Excelsior - PSV 0-2, March 2, 2019.
- Excelsior - PSV 1-2, November 26, 2017.
The most recent meeting at Woudestein was nevertheless considerably closer than the 1-6 result from 2022. PSV won 2-1 in September 2025, showing that the small stadium and a different rhythm of the match can create a more uncomfortable task for the visitors than the difference in squad quality might suggest.
An early goal for Excelsior would completely change the dynamics. PSV would then have to attack while trailing, and Woudestein would very quickly become a louder and more uncomfortable place for the visitors. Conversely, an early PSV goal could force the home side to abandon its more compact plan and leave more space.
Woudestein is a small stadium where the crowd is very close to the pitch
Stadion Woudestein is located at Honingerdijk 110 in Rotterdam. Available data indicate a capacity of approximately 4,400 spectators, making it one of the smallest stadiums at the top level of Dutch football.
The name Woudestein has been used again since the start of the 2025/26 season, after a period in which the stadium carried a different commercial name. For visitors, its practical characteristic is more important: the stands are compact, and because of the small overall capacity there is no sense of a great distance between spectators and the action.
Seats in the stands sell out quickly when an opponent such as PSV comes to Kralingen.
Entrances for the Robin van Persie, Rob Albers and Erasmus stands are located on the Honingerdijk side. The Excelsior Foundation stand is accessible via an entrance through the stadium parking area, while the away section has a separate entrance from Burgemeester Oudlaan.
The exact opening time of the entrances for the match against PSV is not stated in the currently available visitor information. It is therefore useful to check the club's latest instructions immediately before departure, especially if arriving significantly before kickoff is planned.
How to get to Stadion Woudestein
Woudestein is located in Kralingen, east of central Rotterdam. For visitors arriving from other cities, public transport is practical because the journey from Rotterdam Centraal toward the stadium can be continued by tram.
- Tram lines 11 and 1 toward De Esch - get off at Woudestein.
- Tram line 7 toward Woudestein - get off at Burgemeester Oudlaan.
- Parking space for bicycles, scooters and mopeds is available near the entrance to the stadium parking area.
- On matchdays, parking areas P1, P2 and P3 are used by visitors who have the appropriate parking permit.
- Paid parking is also available in the surrounding streets, but availability may be limited.
For visitors arriving by car from the direction of the A16 motorway, the club directs drivers toward the exits for Rotterdam-Centrum and then the signs for Excelsior. For visitors unfamiliar with the city, public transport removes the problem of searching for a space in the immediate surroundings of the small stadium.
It is worth securing tickets in good time and allowing extra time for arrival, especially because of the concentration of traffic around Honingerdijk before kickoff.
Rotterdam for supporters coming only for the match
For a traveler arriving in Rotterdam during the afternoon, it is practical that Woudestein is not an isolated stadium on the edge of the urban area. It is located in the urban district of Kralingen, and connections with the central railway station make it possible to organize a stay in the city without a car.
With an evening kickoff at 20:00, there is enough time to visit central Rotterdam before the match, but the final part of the journey toward the stadium should not be left until the last moment. A small capacity does not necessarily mean easier entry: several thousand people head toward a relatively compact area within a short period of time.
After the match, public transport is again the simplest option for returning toward the city center. Visitors arriving by car should expect that leaving the surrounding streets after the final whistle may take longer than in normal traffic.
What to watch immediately before the match
There is still enough time before the match for the squad situation to change, so final decisions regarding the lineups should be left until the days immediately before the game. For Excelsior, it will be particularly interesting to see whether Mario Domínguez will already be in contention for more substantial minutes and whether Den Uil will retain the starting eleven that beat Cambuur.
For PSV, the return of Veerman after serving his match suspension and the way Bosz integrates the newest signings should be monitored. Kodai Sano arrived only on the day of the first league match, so every additional training session will be important for his adaptation.
Excelsior enter this match not only with three points, but also with proof that their pressing, set pieces and quick attacks can immediately produce goals. PSV arrive with significantly stronger long-term results and five consecutive league victories at this stadium, but also without a win in their first two competitive matches of the new season.
That clash is precisely the most interesting part of the evening at Woudestein: the home side will try to prove that the 0-4 result in the opening round was not merely a brilliant day against a newly promoted team, while PSV must show a reaction after drawing at the start of their title defense.
Sources:
- Excelsior Rotterdam - season schedule, report from the SC Cambuur - Excelsior match, lineup, scorers, information about getting to the stadium, entrances and new players Mario Domínguez and Aymen Sliti.
- PSV - schedule and match center for Excelsior - PSV, results of previous away matches in Rotterdam, current squad, the transfer of Kodai Sano and medical information about Jerdy Schouten.
- ESPN - provisional Eredivisie standings after matches played through August 9, 2026.
- Voetbal International - information about Joey Veerman's red card and reduced suspension.
- KNVB - confirmed 2026/27 Eredivisie schedule.
- StadiumDB - information on the approximate capacity of Stadion Woudestein.