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

Eredivisie newcomers Cambuur continue their search for a first point of the 2026-27 campaign as they travel to BUKO Stadion to face Telstar on Sunday.

Both sides begin the weekend in the bottom five of the Eredivisie standings, each still reeling from heavy defeats in their last outings.

Match preview

Despite finishing 14th last season, Telstar went unbeaten in their final four matches, collecting 10 points from a possible 12 to boost optimism ahead of the current campaign.

A 2-1 win over NEC Nijmegen on the opening weekend further lifted spirits, but Henk Brugge’s side have since suffered back-to-back defeats, most recently a 4-0 loss to Ajax, following a 3-1 defeat to Sparta Rotterdam, with Telstar missing round three due to FC Twente’s European commitments.

De Witte Leeuwen have now conceded in 12 of their last 13 competitive matches, and such defensive frailty can only be offset by a potent attack - bad news for a side with the division’s worst attacking record, albeit with a game in hand.

Telstar’s 2-0 friendly win over Cambuur in July 2025 is their only victory in 11 meetings, with their last league triumph coming back in 2019, when both sides were still in the second division.

However, with more recent top-flight experience than their opponents, Telstar will view Sunday’s fixture as an ideal opportunity to get their season back on track before a demanding run of three consecutive away games against Twente, Heerenveen, and AZ Alkmaar to round off September.

Four games, four defeats, and 16 goals conceded; Cambuur’s start to the season has been nothing short of disastrous, although given their struggles at the end of last season and throughout pre-season, few will be surprised by their current predicament.

A 2-1 win over Vitesse was Cambuur’s only victory in their final five games of last season, after which Henk de Jong stepped down.

New boss Johan Plat made a promising start in pre-season, winning two of his first three friendlies, but then lost the next three, with that poor form continuing into the new campaign.

Unsurprisingly, the Yellow-Blues sit bottom of the table, with 16 goals conceded the most in the division, while only this weekend’s opponents have scored fewer than Cambuur’s four goals so far, a tally matched by fellow newly-promoted sides ADO Den Haag and Willem II.

Since the start of the 2020s, only PEC Zwolle (2021-22) and RKC Waalwijk (2024-25) have lost their opening five Eredivisie matches of a season, so Cambuur will be desperate to avoid joining that unwanted list when they visit Telstar.

Both Sunday’s opponents have started matches slowly, with the away side conceding first in each of their last seven matches - the same as the hosts in five of their last six outings. As a result, the opening exchanges could prove pivotal in deciding who comes out on top.

Telstar Eredivisie form:

Cambuur Eredivisie form:

Team News

Marvin Peersman was forced off with an injury against Ajax, leaving the Belgian's involvement for Telstar this weekend in doubt.

This could open the door for Prince Aning to make his first start of the season, having appeared as a substitute in each of the last three games.

Daan Visser remains Cambuur’s only confirmed absentee as he continues to recover from a knee injury sustained early last season.

Jorn Berkhout is a doubt for the visitors after the 24-year-old defender was forced off in last week’s defeat to Twente with an injury.

Ilyes Hamache scored within three minutes of coming off the bench last time out and could be rewarded with a start here.

Telstar possible starting lineup:

Koeman Jr; Valk, Soualhia, Peersman; Alders, Rossen, Owusu, Hardeveld; Mendes, Brouwer, Seedorf

Cambuur possible starting lineup:

Jansen; Costarelli, Van Duijl, Baouf, Amofa, Jetten; Henstra, Berkhout, Souren, Arguioui; Bouhoudane

We say: Telstar 2-1 Cambuur

Despite their struggles in front of goal, both Telstar and Cambuur are expected to take advantage of defensive vulnerabilities and find the net on Sunday.

That said, we are backing Telstar to edge a narrow victory and deepen Cambuur’s woes.

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