Cambuur vs Excelsior Preview: Can Excelsior's Away Form Cause an Opening Night Upset?
Jay Thompson ·
Right, last updated Wednesday 5 August 2026, two days out from a Friday night Eredivisie opener that is well worth your attention. SC Cambuur host Excelsior at 6pm UK time, and honestly... this is one of those fixtures where the data is telling a story that the casual fan might completely miss. Stick with me here.
The Big Picture
New season, blank slate. Both sides are sitting on zero points, zero goals, zero everything in the 2026 Eredivisie standings. So we are going purely off preseason form and recent competitive data, and that is where it gets interesting. Cambuur have no home form data in the system at all right now. Nothing. We are essentially going in blind on what they look like on their own patch this season.
Excelsior though? Excelsior have got numbers. Good ones, actually. And they are all from away games.
Excelsior's Away Form is Genuinely Tasty
Look, I know Excelsior finished 17th last season in this league. That is not a great look. But their recent away form heading into this campaign has caught my eye in a big way. Look at the fixtures they have played on the road lately. Won two, drawn two, lost one. In their last five away matches that is a record most mid-table sides would be happy with.
But here is the bit that made me actually sit up. Their BTTS rate on the road? One hundred percent. Every single away game in that sample had goals at both ends. Every one. And their over 2.5 goals rate away from home sits at 80 percent. These are not quiet, cautious games. Excelsior on the road is a proper goal-fest waiting to happen.
Their overall last five is WDWWD. Three wins, two draws, no losses. That is a side heading into an opening day game with genuine confidence.
What About Cambuur?
That is basically a coin flip, mate. When two sides are that close in price on opening day, you look elsewhere for value.
The Signals and Where the Value Might Be
Jay's Verdict
Right. Here is where I land on this. Friday night Dutch football, opening weekend, two sides who have been putting goals in and conceding goals in preseason and early competitive action. The vibes here are very much goals, goals, goals.
Don't @ me if Excelsior nick it 1-0. Actually, based on the data, Excelsior have never kept a clean sheet away from home recently, so 1-0 to them feels like the least likely scenario in this entire game. You heard it here first.
Key Numbers Heading In
Back to basics if it goes wrong on Friday. But honestly, I reckon this one delivers. Opening night Eredivisie madness. Get involved.