Preview: Telstar vs. SBV Excelsior - prediction, team news, lineups

Two promoted clubs face off this weekend at BUKO Stadion as Telstar welcome SBV Excelsior in Saturday’s gameweek 11 clash in the Eredivisie.

Both clubs are in precarious positions in the table, with the hosts second-bottom, while their opponents are placed one spot higher after 10 matchdays.

Match preview

Telstar waited 47 years to return to the top flight, but their start to the 2025-26 season has shown that no favours are given at this level.

Anthony Correia's team have lost seven of their 10 matches in the top division — only cellar-dwelling Heracles (nine) have been beaten in more — while their 19 goals conceded is more than every side except the basement boys (30) and Sparta Rotterdam (22).

While their 12 goals scored offer promise, the North Holland outfit will hope to tighten their defence to avoid a fourth consecutive league defeat this weekend.

With nine of their 12 goals coming at home, the supporters will be hoping for a strong performance as they aim to secure their first home victory in this fixture since August 2019.

That would require Telstar to pick up where they left off in midweek, when they scored five away at Lisse in the 5-0 victory over their fourth-tier opponents, a result that ended their losing league streak.

Travelling to Rotterdam will present a different challenge for Telstar, who lost both meetings with this weekend's opponents in the second tier last season.

The corresponding fixture in February ended in a convincing 3-1 win for Excelsior in North Holland, as Ruben den Uil’s team claimed another positive result en route to finishing runners-up in the Eerste Divisie.

With two points separating them from their hosts, the Kralingers will be aware of the consequences of suffering an eighth league defeat on Saturday, which could see them drop into the dreaded bottom two after 11 rounds.

This outcome is doubly feared given their poor away results this season, with four losses in five matches on their travels, conceding 14 goals and scoring just four.

However, their only victory in those five away matches came at the home of FC Volendam — another promoted club — and Den Uil will be hoping for more of the same in this weekend's trip to North Holland.

Maximum points could lift them to 13th from 16th, but other results would need to go in their favour to climb three places in the table.

Telstar Eredivisie form:

Telstar form (all competitions):

SBV Excelsior Eredivisie form:

SBV Excelsior form (all competitions):

Team News

Neville Nwankwo was substituted before the break last weekend, and the defender might join Soufiane Hetli on the sidelines for the hosts.

Milan Zonneveld scored a hat-trick in Telstar's cup success during the week, and the forward may challenge Kay Tejan for a starting place on Saturday.

Zonneveld has been involved in three goals this season, level with Jochem Ritmeester van de Kamp and Jeff Hardeveld, and all three could play crucial roles in North Holland this weekend.

Excelsior might be without Noah Naujoks, Simon Janssen and long-term absentee Lennard Hartjes in Saturday’s 11th round.

Only Szymon Wlodarczyk has scored more than one goal for the Rotterdam visitors, and the forward is aiming for his first strike since September to add to his two Eredivisie goals.

Telstar possible starting lineup:

Koeman Jr; Koswal, Offerhaus, Bakker; Noslin, Owusu, Rossen, Hardeveld; De Kamp, Broywer; Tejan

SBV Excelsior possible starting lineup:

Van Gassel; Bronkhorst, Widell, Meissen, Zagre; Tielemans, Yegoian, Carlen; Mitrovic, Wlodarczyk, De Regt