Cambuur's return to the top flight has been a bruising affair, shipping seven goals in two defeats and now forced into half a dozen changes with six regulars missing. Feyenoord arrive having already won on the road with a clean sheet, and the historical head-to-head could hardly…
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Sign inCambuur host Feyenoord at Kooi Stadion in Leeuwarden on Sunday 23 August 2026, looking for their first points of the Eredivisie season on matchday three. The newly promoted side have lost both of their opening fixtures, while Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s men arrive unbeaten after a win and a draw.
Feyenoord remain without left‑back Jordan Bos, who underwent knee surgery in July and faces several months out. Right‑back Givairo Read is a doubt after leaving the pitch with a thigh problem in the 2‑2 home draw against Go Ahead Eagles. Read told ESPN the injury “does not appear to be too bad” and will be assessed closer to kick‑off. Should he miss out, Jordan Lotomba is likely to deputise.
Tsuyoshi Watanabe returned from his own pre‑season collarbone complaint to start alongside Jeremiah St. Juste in central defence last time out, and the Japanese international is expected to continue. Luciano Valente, who scored the winner on the opening day at Sparta and took over the captaincy, anchors the midfield alongside summer signing Charles Vanhoutte and the influential Gjivai Zechiël. Cambuur have not reported any major absentees as they seek a response to two early setbacks.
Cambuur’s first two matches back in the Eredivisie have delivered a blunt warning about the step up in quality. The Leeuwarden club are yet to pick up a point and have a goal difference of −6, leaving them bottom of the early standings. Home supporters will hope the underdog energy at Kooi Stadion can unsettle a Feyenoord side that carries the weight of expectation as last season’s runners‑up.
Feyenoord began the campaign with a 1‑0 victory at Sparta thanks to Valente’s goal, but then let a two‑goal half‑time lead slip against Go Ahead Eagles as Søren Tengstedt and Stefán Ingi Sigurdarson forced a 2‑2 draw. The Rotterdam side have shown attacking threat – Zechiël alone was involved in eight attempts on goal in that match, taking four shots and creating four chances – but Van Bronckhorst will demand more defensive concentration. The front three of Anis Hadj Moussa, Ayase Ueda and Gaoussou Diarra are expected to lead the line once more.
Gjivai Zechiël has been Feyenoord’s most dangerous player in the opening rounds. His ability to arrive late in the box and thread passes through defensive lines will test a Cambuur side that has already conceded six times. If the hosts sit deep and deny space between the lines, they might frustrate the visitors; leave gaps, however, and Zechiël has the quality to make them pay.
With only two games played, the table is still taking shape, but Cambuur desperately need a result to avoid falling adrift early. Feyenoord will view the trip to Leeuwarden as a chance to keep pace with the likes of AZ Alkmaar and PSV at the top, but they will first have to silence a home crowd hungry for the first points of their top‑flight return.
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