Preview: Telstar vs Ajax - prediction, team news, lineups

The Eredivisie resumes this weekend after last month’s winter break, with SC Telstar hosting AFC Ajax Amsterdam at the BUKO Stadion on Sunday, January 11, as both sides return to league action aiming to build momentum in the second half of the season.

The meeting brings together clubs at contrasting stages of their campaigns, with the White Lions focused on survival and Ajax, three times UEFA Champions League winners, resuming their pursuit of a strong league finish and European qualification, adding extra significance to the early post-break encounter.

Match preview

Telstar sit 15th in the Eredivisie ahead of Sunday’s meeting with Ajax, having collected 15 points from 17 matches with a record of three wins, six draws and eight defeats, scoring 20 goals and conceding 27, with their season marked by inconsistency at home following recent results that included draws against NEC Nijmegen and Heracles Almelo and a narrow defeat to Feyenoord.

Despite their league position, Telstar have shown signs of resilience, most notably with a morale-boosting 1–0 away victory over NAC Breda last time out, although ongoing defensive fragility has contributed to a series of open matches in which they have often invited pressure and frequently seen both teams score.

The Eredivisie winter break, disrupted by heavy snowfall and altered training schedules across the Netherlands, has provided an unusual backdrop to the league’s return, but Telstar’s North Holland base was reportedly less affected than several inland clubs, potentially offering a marginal fitness advantage.

Anthony Correia’s side ended the first half of the 2025-26 campaign on a positive note by combining the 1–0 league win at NAC Breda on December 20 with a 4–1 victory over Hoek in the KNVB Beker and a 2–2 draw against NEC Nijmegen, having also drawn 1–1 away to Heracles Almelo before suffering a narrow home defeat to Feyenoord and being held by FC Utrecht, results that underlined both their competitiveness and difficulty in converting performances into wins.

Historically, this fixture has heavily favoured Ajax, with Telstar recording just two victories and five draws in their entire history against the Amsterdam side, failing to take a point in the last seven meetings while conceding 26 goals and scoring only five, with their most recent win dating back 51 years ago in the 1973-74 season.

© Imago / DeFodi Images

Ajax travel to Velsen firmly established among the Eredivisie’s leading sides, sitting third in the table with 30 points from 17 matches after recording eight wins, six draws and three defeats, supported by a healthy goal difference and a strong run of results before the winter break.

Fred Grim’s side closed out the first half of the season in solid form, recording victories over Feyenoord, Qarabag FK in the UEFA Champions League and Fortuna Sittard, while also drawing away at NEC Nijmegen, a result that again highlighted both their attacking quality and occasional defensive vulnerability.

Ajax’s Champions League campaign has added further context to their season, with participation in Europe’s premier competition through December testing squad depth but also delivering notable attacking performances, including a 4–2 away victory over Qarabag FK.

Like many Eredivisie clubs, Ajax faced snow-related training disruptions during the winter break, though their superior infrastructure and resources, including the Johan Cruyff Arena and centralised training facilities, helped mitigate the impact compared to smaller sides.

Ajax signed off 2025 with a 2–2 draw away at NEC Nijmegen following a dominant 2–0 home win over Feyenoord, before continuing their momentum with victories over Qarabag FK, Fortuna Sittard and FC Groningen, results that reinforced their scoring consistency across competitions.

The 36-time Dutch champions have long dominated this fixture, winning 25 of the 32 competitive meetings between the sides across all competitions, with their last defeat to Telstar coming in the 1973-74 Eredivisie season.

Telstar Eredivisie form:

Telstar form (all competitions):

Ajax Eredivisie form:

Ajax form (all competitions):

Team News

© Iconsport / Iconsport

Telstar have a clean bill of health, but defender Tyrese Noslin is a yellow card away from suspension after accumulating four cautions this season.

Following their winter break, Correia’s team has been boosted by the arrival of 20-year-old midfielder Cedric Hatenboer - who had previously impressed in the Netherlands at Excelsior - on loan from Belgian side Anderlecht for the remainder of the season.

A well-known player has also been training with Telstar for some time, as former Dutch international Adam Maher, who played for PSV, AZ, and FC Utrecht among others, is maintaining his fitness in Velsen-Zuid, although the likelihood of him receiving a contract is currently slim.

For Ajax, Grim revealed that Jorthy Mokio will return to the Amsterdam squad on Sunday after missing the friendly against Seraing due to a minor illness, while Kian Fitz-Jim is also training with the group again following a minor injury.

There was less positive news for Steven Berghuis and Wout Weghorst, as the former suffered a setback in his rehabilitation and is not yet available against Telstar, and the same applies to Weghorst, who has already missed Ajax's last two league matches with an ankle injury.

Former Arsenal defender Takehiro Tomiyasu, who joined Ajax last month as a free agent, will not make his debut for the club this weekend as he continues to build his fitness after a prolonged absence on the treatment table.

Telstar possible starting lineup:

Koeman; Offerhaus, Nwankwo, Bakker; Hardeveld, Owusu, Rossen, Noslin, Kamp, Brouwer; Zonneveld

Ajax possible starting lineup:

Jaros; Gaaei, Itakura, Baas, Rosa; Steur, Regeer, Klassen; Gloukh, Godts, Dolberg

We say: Telstar 1-2 Ajax

Ajax head into the fixture as clear favourites, but the gap between the two sides may be narrower than the table suggests, with Telstar’s improved form and consistent scoring at the BUKO Stadion indicating they can make this a competitive contest at home.

The visitors' ability to score away from Amsterdam should still prove decisive, and despite defensive lapses on the road, they have found the net in every away league match this season and continue to generate goals across competitions, leaving them well-placed to prevail given their greater depth, attacking quality and strong recent head-to-head record.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.