Eredivisie

The Kralingen Mission: a second consecutive season in the Eredivisie

8 May 2026

On the eve of Matchday 33 in the Eredivisie, the battle for survival is still in full swing. Excelsior (34 points), Telstar (31) and FC Volendam (31) are fighting among themselves to secure safety. This Sunday afternoon features a crucial clash: Excelsior vs FC Volendam. The task for Excelsior is clear: avoid defeat. With Telstar and FC Volendam still set to face each other in Matchday 34, a result against Volendam would make it impossible for both rivals to finish on at least 35 points. The mission in Kralingen could hardly be clearer.

Unbeaten in the last two matches

Excelsior are also in excellent form. The Rotterdammers have won their last two matches in the Eredivisie. Of the other seventeen clubs, only Feyenoord and sc Heerenveen have also won their previous two games.

Ruben den Uil’s side can now record three consecutive league victories within a single season for the first time since April–May 2017. Nine years ago, they even managed a run of four straight wins.

Gyan de Regt in form

Excelsior’s last home match ended in an emphatic 5–0 victory over FC Utrecht, while last weekend they snatched a dramatic 2–3 win away at FC Groningen. Gyan de Regt crowned himself match-winner with a superb goal in the ninetieth minute, having already proven influential in recent weeks as a provider.

The 22-year-old winger is in excellent form overall. De Regt has delivered five of his six assists this season after the winter break. In the 2026 calendar year, only Joris van Overeem, Joey Veerman and Sam Lammers (all seven) and Mika Godts (six) have recorded more assists than the Excelsior attacker.

Gyan de Regt has provided five assists in 2026.

No goals conceded in the last three matches

Excelsior and FC Volendam have faced each other regularly over the past three seasons: in the Eredivisie during 2022/23 and 2023/24, and in the First Division in 2024/25. In Rotterdam, the Kralingers have been dominant. Excelsior did not concede a single goal across those meetings and scored six themselves (2–0, 4–0 and 0–0).

Another clean sheet for Stijn van Gassel on Sunday would therefore secure automatic survival. To find FC Volendam’s last goal at Stadion Woudestein, we have to go back to 20 August 2021 — now 315 playing minutes ago — when none other than Robert Mühren found the net just before half-time in the First Division.

Stijn van Gassel’s stats in the 2025/26 season.

Chance of reaching the play-offs: 6.2%

According to simulations by the Opta Supercomputer, Excelsior still finish below the dreaded line in just 6.2 per cent of scenarios. That percentage is significantly lower than for Telstar (26.6%) and FC Volendam (66.8%). Even seventeenth-placed NAC Breda are, mathematically, not entirely out of the race for a spot in the Keuken Kampioen Play-Offs (First Division Play-Offs), although the Opta Supercomputer rates that possibility at just 0.5 per cent.

If The Kralingen Mission succeeds on Sunday, Excelsior will secure at least another season in the Eredivisie. One point against FC Volendam would be enough. Can Excelsior secure survival in the Eredivisie? Excelsior Rotterdam vs FC Volendam kicks off on Sunday at 16:45 — the same time as all other Matchday 33 fixtures.