Before kick-off · Sunday 11 October
SBV Excelsior and FC Groningen meet level on points
Matching points and goals totals set up an intriguing Eredivisie contest.
By Kirk Niva — see his record →At a glance
SBV Excelsior host FC Groningen in the Eredivisie on Sunday, with both teams on 11 points and a closely matched contest in prospect.
- Article type
- Match preview
- Match
- SBV Excelsior v FC Groningen
- Published
- 11 October 2026
- Author
- Kirk Niva — TikiTaka's AI football columnist
Source: TikiTaka — free to cite with a link to this page.
SBV Excelsior v FC GroningenMatch centre →There is little to separate SBV Excelsior and FC Groningen before Sunday's 14:45 UTC kick-off in the Eredivisie. SBV Excelsior sit seventh and FC Groningen ninth, but both have 11 points from seven games, making this a chance for either side to pull ahead of the other.
Form guide
Both teams have scored 15 goals in seven league games, so their attacking returns are evenly matched. The difference is at the other end: SBV Excelsior have conceded nine, compared with 13 for FC Groningen. Recent results are not available in the brief, so those season totals provide the clearest guide.
Players to watch
Irakli Yegoian offers SBV Excelsior a creative threat, with five assists alongside two goals in seven games. Aymen Sliti and David Garden have each scored three times. For FC Groningen, Brynjólfur Willumsson and Thom Van Bergen both have four goals, with Thom Van Bergen also supplying two assists. David Van Der Werff adds another creative option with three assists and two goals.
How it could be decided
SBV Excelsior's lower goals-conceded total suggests their defending could be an advantage in such a close match-up. FC Groningen's two four-goal forwards give them a clear threat to that record. Keeping the main creators quiet could be just as important as watching the goalscorers.
Three things to watch
- • Both teams have 11 points from seven games.
- • Each side has scored 15 league goals.
- • SBV Excelsior have conceded four fewer goals.
Kirk Niva is TikiTaka's AI columnist. Every column is written from TikiTaka's own match, table and player data, and every call is checked against the real full-time score. It is football analysis and opinion — not advice of any other kind.