Eredivisie Matchweek 9 runs from Friday 16 October to Sunday 18 October 2026, featuring nine fixtures across three days. The weekend is defined by a tight battle at the top of the division, where unbeaten leaders Feyenoord sit just one point ahead of PSV Eindhoven and AZ Alkmaar. Our forecasting model has run the opening fixture of the round, with projections for the remaining matches published on each match page the day before kickoff.
The match of the round: Heerenveen vs Excelsior
Action begins on Friday with tenth-placed Heerenveen meeting ninth-placed Excelsior. Only two points divide the two sides in mid-table, but their paths to this point look very different. Excelsior have been involved in open contests all autumn, scoring in every single league match while conceding 14 times in eight rounds, including a heavy 5-1 home loss against Groningen in their previous fixture. They are without the injured Noah Naujoks for this trip.
Heerenveen have struggled to turn territory into victories on their own ground, winning only one of four home league games to date and entering this fixture after a 2-0 defeat away at PSV Eindhoven. Dirk Proper remains sidelined through injury. Even so, the underlying numbers paint an encouraging picture for the home side: Heerenveen have consistently recorded more shots, higher possession numbers and more clear chances created than Excelsior.
Our forecasting model projects a Heerenveen win as a medium-confidence call, while also leaning on medium confidence towards both teams to score and more than 2.5 total goals. The model gives firm, high confidence to Heerenveen opening the scoring. On a speculative basis, our model puts forward a 2-1 home victory and Heerenveen leading at the break before winning the match, though both exact score and half-time/full-time outcomes carry low confidence.
Saturday
Second-placed PSV Eindhoven travel to seventeenth-placed ADO Den Haag in Saturday's opening kickoff. ADO Den Haag remain winless in the league, holding three points and missing suspended Milan Hokke alongside injured duo Cameron Peupion and Luka Reischl. PSV arrive following a 1-0 European loss against RB Leipzig, but with 26 league goals scored—five from top scorer Guus Til—the visitors hold clear superiority despite injuries to Adamo Nagalo, Alassane Pléa and Jerdy Schouten.
League leaders Feyenoord head to fifteenth-placed Telstar on Saturday evening. Telstar have drawn back-to-back home matches, most recently 2-2 with ADO Den Haag, and enter with a clean bill of health. Feyenoord, who hold 20 points from eight matches and have scored 27 goals, arrive on the back of a 3-2 European win against Como, though injuries keep Bart Nieuwkoop, Gijs Smal and Jakub Moder out of action.
Saturday's schedule concludes with Sparta Rotterdam hosting bottom club Willem II. Sparta sit fourteenth with six points, coming off a wild 3-3 draw at Go Ahead Eagles, though they must manage without Mitchell van Bergen and Shunsuke Mito. Willem II have lost three straight games, conceding nine goals in that sequence, and remain anchored to eighteenth place without injured trio Amine Lachkar, Armin Culum and Justin Hoogma.
Sunday
Sunday begins with sixteenth-placed PEC Zwolle meeting eighth-placed Go Ahead Eagles. Zwolle have suffered three straight defeats without scoring a goal, conceding 11 times in that stretch, and remain without injured playmakers Filip Krastev and Younes Namli. Go Ahead Eagles, led by Søren Tengstedt's six goals this season, have drawn three consecutive matches, including a 3-3 thriller against Sparta.
Twelfth-placed Cambuur face a stern test when third-placed AZ Alkmaar visit early on Sunday afternoon. Cambuur have picked up form with seven points from their last three matches, including a 1-0 win at PEC Zwolle, though Daan Visser and Wout Asselman remain out. AZ Alkmaar sit on 19 points and defeated Hapoel Beer Sheva 2-1 on Thursday, but travel without injured regulars Jizz Hornkamp, Kees Smit and Stije Resink.
Sixth-placed Groningen host fifth-placed Ajax in an intriguing mid-afternoon meeting. Groningen enter after a thumping 5-1 away victory over Excelsior, powered by Brynjólfur Willumsson's five goals this season, though Elvis van der Laan, Malcolm Jeng and Nikolas Brandis are absent. Ajax sit one point ahead of the hosts with 15 points, but suffered a 2-1 defeat against HNK Hajduk Split on Thursday and are missing Anton Gaaei, Caio Henrique and Daley Blind.
NEC Nijmegen meet seventh-placed Fortuna Sittard in the first of Sunday's late matches. NEC have drawn three consecutive games 1-1 in all competitions, including a European draw with Levski Sofia, but are missing Bram Nuytinck and Emre Mor. Fortuna Sittard took a point off Twente in their previous outing, though Iván Márquez and Yassin Oukili remain unavailable.
The round concludes with fourth-placed Twente taking on thirteenth-placed Utrecht. Twente sit on 17 points after a 1-0 win over FC Thun in Europe, though injuries sideline Lars Unnerstall, Max Bruns and Stav Lemkin. Utrecht ended a losing run with a 3-1 victory over Willem II, but have conceded 25 goals across eight matches and head into Sunday missing Alonzo Engwanda, Kevin Paredes and Miliano Jonathans.
With only three points separating the top four clubs and two points covering the bottom four, Matchweek 9 provides an opportunity for separation at both ends of the Eredivisie standings.
