The Eerste Divisie kicks off at GS Staalwerken Stadion with both sides fielding fresh lineups and no injury concerns. De Graafschap, under Marinus Dijkhuizen, line up in a 4-3-3 and have dominated this fixture historically with six wins from the last ten meetings. Jurgen…
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Sign inHelmond Sport welcome De Graafschap to the GS Staalwerken Stadion in Helmond on Sunday, 9 August 2026, for the opening round of the 2026/27 Eerste Divisie season. The 12:15 CEST kick-off marks the start of a fresh campaign for two clubs with very different memories of how last season ended.
Helmond Sport concluded the previous term in mid-table, their campaign petering out with a 1-0 defeat at FC Eindhoven on the final day (25 April 2026). A 2-2 home draw against RKC Waalwijk and a goalless stalemate at MVV Maastricht in the preceding weeks showed a side that was difficult to beat but lacked the cutting edge to trouble the top positions. They finished with a 2-0 win over VVV-Venlo, a result that hinted at what they could achieve with a positive start.
De Graafschap, by contrast, came agonisingly close to a promotion play-off upset. After finishing the regular season with a 1-0 loss to FC Emmen and a wild 3-3 draw at VVV, they met Almere City in the Eredivisie promotion/relegation play-off quarter-finals. A 3-1 away defeat left them with too much to do, and a 2-2 home draw confirmed a 5-3 aggregate exit on 10 May 2026. The disappointment will fuel their determination to go one better this time.
Managerial decisions are still under wraps, but the line-up that faced FC Emmen in late April offers a window into the spine of the side. Goalkeeper M. Bergsen, centre-back B. Koglin and midfielder F. Van Den Eynden are expected to anchor the team again. Attacking creativity is likely to flow through H. Ingason and L. Bajrami, while the width provided by Wassim Lantaki and S. Dekkers gives Helmond a balanced structure. If they can convert the resilience that earned a clean sheet against VVV into more consistent victories, a top-half push is realistic.
The Doetinchem-based visitors enter the new season with a squad that knows the pain of a near miss. Conceding three goals in Almere exposed defensive frailties they will be keen to address, but the 3-1 win over SC Cambuur just a week earlier showed their attacking power. With the core that pushed Almere all the way largely intact, De Graafschap will target automatic promotion rather than another nerve-shredding play-off run. A fast start on the road is essential to that plan.
Bank holiday sunshine is forecast for Helmond, and the compact GS Staalwerken Stadion will provide an intimate, vocal backdrop. First-round fixtures in the Eerste Divisie often produce open, high-energy football as teams shake off summer rust. Helmond will lean on their defensive organisation to frustrate a visiting side that scored freely at times last season, while De Graafschap will look to test Bergsen early and settle any early jitters. The result will not define the season, but three points on day one can shift the mood of an entire campaign.
The league schedule offers both sides quick turnarounds; Helmond travel to FC Dordrecht in round two, while De Graafschap host FC Den Bosch.
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