[2026-27 Eredivisie] Go Ahead Eagles vs Telstar preview and analysis Kick-off: 18:00 UTC on 23 October
Go Ahead Eagles and Telstar meet at De Adelaarshorst in Deventer for round 10 of the Eredivisie, with kick-off at 18:00 UTC on 23 October. Neither side has won recently in the league. Go Ahead Eagles will look to bounce back at home after a heavy derby defeat, while Telstar need points to climb out of the relegation play-off places.
1. Match overview and team form
Go Ahead Eagles sit ninth with 11 points from nine matches, having won two, drawn five and lost two. Telstar are 16th on six points after one win, three draws and five defeats, one point behind 15th-placed PEC Zwolle. Go Ahead Eagles have managed four draws and two losses in their six league games since beating ADO Den Haag on 23 August. Telstar are also winless in eight matches since opening the campaign with an away win at NEC Nijmegen. After Go Ahead Eagles lost the derby 4-1 to PEC Zwolle last time out, coach Joseph Oosting said he wanted to see more fight from his players against Telstar.
Eredivisie this season Position and points: Go Ahead Eagles ninth, 11 points / Telstar 16th, 6 points At home: Go Ahead Eagles, 4 matches, 2 wins and 2 draws, 11 goals scored and 6 conceded / Telstar, 5 matches, 2 draws and 3 defeats, 8 scored and 15 conceded Away: Go Ahead Eagles, 5 matches, 3 draws and 2 defeats, 9 scored and 15 conceded / Telstar, 4 matches, 1 win, 1 draw and 2 defeats, 2 scored and 3 conceded
Go Ahead Eagles are unbeaten in four home matches and have scored 11 goals there. They have conceded in every game, though, and two of those matches ended in draws. Across all nine league games this season, they have scored 20 and conceded 21. Their attack has earned points, but they have struggled to manage games after taking the lead. They let a 3-0 advantage slip away at FC Utrecht and drew 3-3 at home to Sparta Rotterdam despite leading twice.
A lack of chances alone does not explain their recent run without a win. Go Ahead Eagles registered 2.31 expected goals away to NEC Nijmegen but scored once. Against PEC Zwolle, they had 2.74 expected goals and again scored only once, while conceding four after the break. They did score three against Sparta Rotterdam, but created fewer big chances than their opponents. Some matches have featured poor finishing, while others have seen them allow more dangerous chances at the back.
Telstar’s home and away records tell different stories. They have conceded only three goals in four away matches, but scored just twice. Since the break, they have used a 4-3-3 in two home games, drawing 2-2 with ADO Den Haag and losing 4-3 to Feyenoord. Their attack produced five goals in those two matches, but they also conceded six. Against ADO Den Haag, the opposition were down to 10 men from the 13th minute, yet Telstar still conceded twice in the first half. Their expected goals against Feyenoord was 3.81. That makes it hard to assume their low away goals-against figure will carry over unchanged under the more attacking shape they have used recently.
Both coaches took charge before this season. Oosting’s Go Ahead Eagles play a 4-2-3-1, look to keep possession and add attackers with substitutions when trailing. Brugge’s Telstar began the season away from home with a back three and a low defensive block, then used a 4-3-3 in their two home games since the break. The predicted line-ups also point to a 4-3-3, though Telstar have yet to use that formation away from home.
Predicted line-ups and absences Go Ahead Eagles: Expected to name the same starting XI as in their last two matches. Oosting still has decisions to make over his centre-back pairing and goalkeeper. Telstar: Louis Mendes is out injured. The forward who scored a counter-attacking goal in the season opener will be unavailable. Telstar: Jeff Hardeveld is expected to miss out on a starting place. His long throw created the goal in the opener, but he is unlikely to start.
Go Ahead Eagles are not expected to have any first-team regulars missing through injury. Centre-back Julius Dirksen has made way for Giovanni van Zwam in the last two matches, and Oosting must decide whether to change the pairing after the four goals conceded in the derby. New signing Jasper Cillessen is available, but it is unclear whether he will make the matchday squad. Kjetil Haug is in the predicted line-up. Mendes’s absence is a confirmed blow to Telstar’s attack. Hardeveld is not injured, but has started on the bench in each of the last two matches.
Telstar have the edge in the last three meetings, with two wins and a draw. Go Ahead Eagles have had matches in which they kept possession without scoring, or conceded a late equaliser after taking the lead. Both teams had different coaches then, and Telstar’s goalscorers and starting line-ups have changed since. The most relevant point is that Go Ahead Eagles’ difficulty in protecting a lead has also shown up this season.
The schedule offers little difference between the sides. Go Ahead Eagles’ cup match comes four days after this league fixture. Rain and strong gusts are forecast in Deventer during the match. That could affect the accuracy of high crosses and long passes, while handling a wet ball may test the goalkeepers. The weather alone does not give either side an advantage.
2. Match-up analysis
Go Ahead Eagles are likely to have more of the ball. The key question is where Telstar defend and how they attack after winning possession. If they stick with the expected 4-3-3, Noach Shenkman, Tyrone Owusu and Nils Rossen could step forward from midfield to press. That may give Go Ahead Eagles chances to find Søren Tengstedt and Mathis Suray around the edge of the penalty area. Tengstedt leads the team with six league goals this season, while Suray has also scored from a long-range free-kick. With Victor Edvardsen and Stefan Ingi Sigurdarson also joining the attack, Telstar will have more than one player to contain.
Telstar can create chances of their own if they push forward. Owusu has scored three goals in his last five league appearances and found the net with a direct free-kick and a long-range shot against ADO Den Haag. Against PEC Zwolle, Haug failed to keep out a shot from distance, while a cross and a missed clearance led to the equaliser against Sparta Rotterdam. Telstar also turned crosses from Marvin Peersman and Sem Valk into goals against Feyenoord. Their recent shots and crosses match situations in which Go Ahead Eagles have conceded. Strong gusts could make high crosses less accurate, so low deliveries and Owusu’s shooting may be more important routes to goal.
Telstar’s counter-attacking threat is more limited when Go Ahead Eagles attack. If full-back Dean James loses the ball after pushing forward, opponents can target the space behind him, as PEC Zwolle did on the counter in the second half last time out. Telstar also got the goal they needed to win their opener through Mendes on the break. Mendes is injured for this match, though. Arjany Martha and Nökkvi Thorisson are expected to lead the attack, but the season’s records provided do not show either of them finishing an away counter-attack the way Mendes did. The danger when Go Ahead Eagles lose possession remains, but whether Telstar can turn those chances into goals is another matter.
If Brugge returns to a back three away from home, the challenge for both sides changes. Telstar could add defenders and protect the box with help from Ronald Koeman Jr, who made 20 saves across their three away games before the break. Go Ahead Eagles had 25 shots against FC Groningen but scored only once, and in last season’s cup meeting they kept the ball for long spells in the second half without creating many clear chances. If Telstar sit deep, Go Ahead Eagles’ possession and shot volume may not translate into goals.
That approach would come at a cost for Telstar too. They have failed to score in their three away matches since winning their opener. While using three centre-backs to limit goals against, they have relied on long throws, set pieces and counter-attacks going forward. Mendes is out today, and Hardeveld is also expected to miss the starting line-up. Adding defenders could reduce Go Ahead Eagles’ chances, but would also make it harder for Telstar to find the goal they need to win. Owusu’s free-kicks and shots from distance remain a threat in either formation.
The teams would also respond differently after the first goal. Go Ahead Eagles have come back to draw three of the four matches this season in which they went into half-time behind. When trailing, Oosting has brought on several players around the 60th to 65th minute to add attacking numbers. Telstar have lost all four matches in which they were behind at half-time. If they concede first and push their midfield further forward in a 4-3-3, Go Ahead Eagles could find more space to add to their lead. The home side have also conceded soon after taking the lead and late in matches, so getting in front alone would not guarantee a win.
3. Verdict and conclusion
The likeliest scenario is that Telstar stick with the 4-3-3 they used in their last two home matches. Both predicted line-ups favour the same shape, and Brugge used it against ADO Den Haag and league leaders Feyenoord in back-to-back games. We expect Go Ahead Eagles to dominate possession and create shooting chances for Tengstedt and Suray around the edge of the box. If Telstar push their midfield forward to chase the game, the hosts should find more opportunities to add to their tally. Telstar can also threaten through Owusu’s shooting or set pieces.
We agree with the market on the likely winner, but expect a different scoring pattern. The case for a low-scoring match rests in part on Telstar’s modest away goals and goals-against figures, built during games with three centre-backs and saves from Koeman Jr. The 4-3-3 expected today should involve Telstar more in attack, but could leave space in front of their defence for Go Ahead Eagles. Given the hosts’ tendency to concede after taking the lead, both teams scoring looks a better fit for the match than a one-sided home win.
Our predicted score is Go Ahead Eagles 3-1 Telstar. Go Ahead Eagles have scored 11 goals in four home matches, and Telstar’s expected midfield push could leave space for the hosts’ attacking midfielders. Telstar will be without Mendes, who scored on the counter in their opening away win, and Hardeveld, whose long throw created a chance, is also expected to miss out on a start. If they concede first, they will have fewer ways to get back into the match. We expect Telstar could score once through a shot from Owusu or a similar chance, but Go Ahead Eagles are more likely to add further goals and stay ahead. If Brugge returns to a back three and adds defenders in front of Koeman Jr, the hosts may create fewer chances and a 1-1 draw becomes more likely.
