Fortuna Sittard vs Excelsior prediction 20.02.2026 | Eredivisie

Fortuna’s recent form has been inconsistent going into this fixture. In their last six Eredivisie matches, the Limburg side have managed just one win - they beat Groningen 2-1 on the final matchday of January - and in the last round they found themselves crumbling to a 4-1 defeat to AFC Ajax.

These defensive issues underline why Fortuna find themselves just outside the bottom half of the table, as they struggle to control games from the back despite showing attacking promise at times. They have kept only three clean sheets in the entire campaign so far, giving them the third-worst defensive record despite sitting in 11th place out of 18 teams overall.

Injury concerns could further complicate their preparations. Key players such as Justin Lonwijk and Luka Tunjic are reported sidelined due to injury or illness, which may inhibit Fortuna’s ability to maintain attacking fluidity.

Excelsior arrive in Sittard with a contrasting, if equally inconsistent, run of form. Across recent matches, they are undefeated in six of their last seven outings, though this sequence includes four draws, which highlights a team that is hard to beat but struggles to turn matches into wins. 

Defensively, they are not much better than Fortuna, having conceded just three goals fewer than their Friday opponents. However, they have shown some signs of improvement in recent matchdays, preventing opposition teams from scoring in two of their last four Eredivisie games - a clean sheet in a goalless draw against Twente and a 2-0 win over NAC Breda. Their away resilience could be pivotal in a tightly fought contest, especially considering their ability to avoid defeat in 83% of their last six matches.

There are no reported major injuries in the Excelsior’s squad ahead of this game. The lack of a proven goalscorer is a major issue for Excelsior this season, as the two leading players are midfielders: Noah Naujoks (6 goals) and Irakli Yegoian (4 goals) have contributed 10 goals combined.