FC Twente vs Telstar - prediction, team news, lineups

By Nsidibe Akpan | 08 Sep 2026 00:02, Last updated: 08 Sep 2026 05:56

FC Twente host Telstar in the Eredivisie at De Grolsch Veste in Enschede on Wednesday, with both sides going into the match having already played four league fixtures this season.

De Tukkers sit seventh with seven points from those four matches, while Telstar are 14th on four points and have not won any of their last three matches.

John van den Brom begins his first full season in permanent charge at De Grolsch Veste on the back of a contract extension to mid-2027, reward for steering Twente to a fourth-placed, 58-point finish last term after replacing the sacked Joseph Oosting in September 2025.

The Tukkers spent the summer restructuring off the pitch as much as on it, with former player and manager Erik ten Hag formally starting work as technical director at the beginning of this season in succession to Jan Streuer.

Ricky van Wolfswinkel, the club's talisman since 2021 with 62 goals in 186 appearances, retired at the end of last season, and Twente moved to replace his output with a free transfer for Dutch international striker Wout Weghorst.

Weghorst has settled quickly, scoring in each of Twente's last two Eredivisie matches, while Ramiz Zerrouki's loan was converted into a permanent deal worth just over €2m (£1.7m) through 2030 and Mats Rots left for Hoffenheim in a reported €16m (£13.8m) deal that stands as a club-record sale.

Twente's continental summer was a mixed one: they lost their Europa League second qualifying round tie to Ferencvaros on aggregate after squandering a 2-0 comeback in Hungary, but responded by beating DAC Dunajska Streda 9-3 on aggregate and then Qarabag 4-2 on aggregate in Conference League qualifying to reach the league phase.

Domestically, Twente have opened with a defeat at Heerenveen, a 3-1 home win over PEC Zwolle, a 4-1 away victory at Cambuur and a 2-2 draw at Groningen, a set of results built on goals rather than defensive control given they have failed to keep a clean sheet in seven matches across all competitions.

Telstar are into a second straight Eredivisie season after surviving on the final day last term to finish 14th, and they have begun this campaign under a head coach with no prior senior experience.

Henk Brugge, a former Heerenveen assistant who took interim charge there for three matches after Robin van Persie left for Feyenoord, was appointed in the summer to succeed Anthony Correia, the popular figure who led Telstar to promotion and then to safety before leaving for FC Utrecht.

Brugge experimented with a back four in pre-season friendlies, but Telstar have mostly reverted to Correia's old three-at-the-back shape in competitive matches, suggesting the transition to a new tactical identity is still a work in progress.

Jeff Hardeveld was rewarded for his consistency with the captaincy this summer, taking over from Danny Bakker, whose contract expired, and signing a new deal that runs to 2028.

De Witte Leeuwen's opening month has produced a 2-1 win away at NEC Nijmegen, a 3-1 home defeat to Sparta Rotterdam, a 0-4 home loss to Ajax and a 2-2 draw with Cambuur, and they have been awarded two penalties already this season, the most of any Eredivisie club.

The scale of the task at De Grolsch Veste is nonetheless considerable given the head-to-head record between these two clubs, with Twente unbeaten in the last five meetings and Telstar still searching for a first win against these opponents in almost five decades.

Defender Stav Lemkin is the only confirmed absentee for Twente ahead of this fixture, ruled out through injury.

Robin Propper continues to captain a defence that has already conceded five goals in four league matches, while Weghorst, the club's joint-top scorer with two goals from four appearances, remains the clear focal point in attack.

Brugge has a fully-fit squad to pick from, with no injury or suspension absences ahead of the trip to Enschede.

Hardeveld's role as captain from left wing-back in the 3-4-2-1 is the one constant carried over from last season, even as Brugge continues to search for the right balance further forward.

Patrick Brouwer remains the reference point in attack, and Telstar's tally of two penalties awarded already this season points to a team that is finding ways to win fouls in the box even when open play is proving difficult.

Unnerstall; Van Rooij, Bruns, Propper, Nijstad; Zerrouki, Weidmann; Orjasaeter, Taha, Pjaca; Weghorst

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

Neither side has kept a clean sheet in seven matches this season, and with Twente averaging more than two goals a game at home while Telstar have already been on the losing end of two separate two-goal margins, an open, high-scoring contest looks the most likely shape for this one.

Home advantage, an unbeaten head-to-head record stretching back five meetings, and Weghorst's scoring form in his last two outings tip the balance toward Twente, though Telstar's two penalties won already this season suggest they will not go down without at least troubling their hosts.

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

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