Preview: Telstar vs. NAC Breda - prediction, team news, lineups

Two teams fighting to keep their Eredivisie status face off at BUKO Stadion on Friday, when second-bottom Telstar welcome 16th-placed NAC Breda in the 25th round.

Separated by one place and four points in the table, victory for the hosts would bring them closer to leapfrogging their opponents, who could move out of the relegation playoff spot by taking maximum points in this round.

Match preview

Telstar’s winless start to 2026 continued on Sunday when they were beaten 2-1 by second-placed Feyenoord, although Anthony Correia’s troops did not lose meekly in Rotterdam.

Jochem Ritmeester van de Kamp’s 14th-minute strike briefly stunned fans at De Kuip, but Anis Hadj Moussa netted twice for Robin van Persie’s team to complete the turnaround.

Telstar return to top-flight action days after suffering their 12th defeat since returning to the big time, aiming to end their seven-match winless run in the competition since defeating NAC in Breda before Christmas.

While that 1-0 success extended the White Lions’ unbeaten run at the time to three — they secured five points from a possible nine during that period — four of the following seven rounds have ended in defeat, even if the North Holland side have been generally competitive.

Only in their 4-1 defeat by PEC Zwolle have they been beaten by more than one goal since December, while just four of their 12 losses have been by margins of two goals or more.

However, a lack of clean sheets could ultimately undermine their survival prospects, with only three shutouts kept all season since returning to the top flight.

© Imago / Orange Pictures

This apparent inability to prevent opponents from scoring does not fill anyone of a Telstar persuasion with optimism that they can add to their 18 points, especially as they face one of the division’s in-form teams in NAC.

Given their precarious position in third-bottom, the Breda-based side’s standing of ninth in the form table across the last five rounds bodes well for Carl Hoefkens’s team.

Currently occupying the relegation playoff position, Hoefkens’s men head into Friday’s contest on the back of eight points from the last 15 available, losing only once in that period — to SBV Excelsior at the start of February.

The 2-0 defeat by their Rotterdam opponents followed a pair of creditable 2-2 draws against defending Eredivisie champions PSV Eindhoven and sixth-placed FC Twente, having narrowly lost 4-3 to third-placed NEC.

Those results hinted at an upswing for NAC, who have since turned the tide with consecutive 1-0 wins against bottom-placed Heracles and 15th-placed Volendam.

Now facing another side battling relegation, another victory this weekend — and a Volendam defeat against an admittedly out-of-form Groningen — would see NAC move out of the relegation playoff place.

That ambition should motivate the visitors before their trip to North Holland, where they are winless in consecutive visits in the second tier after securing victories in the two previous trips.

Telstar Eredivisie form:

Telstar form (all competitions):

NAC Breda Eredivisie form:

Team News

© Iconsport / Orange Pictures

Having sustained no fresh injuries in the defeat at De Kuip, Devon Koswal and Tyrone Owusu remain the likely absentees for Telstar.

With his goal at Feyenoord last week, Van de Kamp is the outright top scorer for the second-bottom side with five goals.

However, Jeff Hardeveld — who has scored four and assisted as many — is the home team’s leading attacking threat from left wing-back.

Although Sydney van Hooijdonk has left NAC for Estrela Amadora, the Breda-based team have found solutions to keep winning games since the departure of their former five-goal forward.

While Boy Kemper — three goals and two assists — now leads the way for goal contributions, centre-back Clint Leemans and Pepijn Reulen have scored their recent match-winning goals, highlighting several players stepping up for Hoefkens’s team.

Having avoided any new injuries in last week’s win, leaving Moussa Soumano (ankle), Fredrik Jensen (knee) and Leo Greiml (shoulder) as absentees, Hoefkens could name the same XI that defeated Volendam.

Telstar possible starting lineup:

Koeman; Nwankwo, Offerhaus, Bakker; Noslin, Hatenboer, Rossen, Hardeveld; Van de Kamp; Thorisson

NAC Breda possible starting lineup:

Bielica; Valerius, Odoi, Leemans, Kemper; Brym, Balard, Holtby, Sowah; Ayew, Salama

We say: Telstar 0-1 NAC Breda

NAC Breda arrive in North Holland with the wind in their sails following consecutive clean sheets and victories.

Given Telstar’s inability to stop leaking goals at the back, the visitors should have enough quality to edge a narrow contest.

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