After a 47-year absence from the top flight, Telstar is back in the Eredivisie! Their reward? A tough Week 1 matchup against last season's runners-up, Ajax, at the Johan Cruyff Arena.
Last season was a heartbreaker for Ajax, who finished just one point shy of the title after blowing a nine-point lead in the final weeks. They'll be looking to start fresh under new manager Johnny Heitinga, who returns for a second stint after a successful run as assistant manager at Liverpool, where he helped the Reds win the Premier League title.
Heitinga's last time at Ajax saw him win 14 of 22 games, and he'll be aiming to improve on that 63.4% win rate. However, a shaky preseason has raised some eyebrows about the team's defense, as they failed to keep a single clean sheet in five matches, conceding three goals in a 6-3 win and two in a 3-2 victory. This poor defensive form was further highlighted by a 3-0 loss and a 2-2 draw later in the off-season. It will be interesting to see if they can tighten things up against a newly promoted side.
Meanwhile, Telstar's journey back to the Eredivisie was a surprising one. They weren't a top-tier contender last season, finishing 13 points behind the second-place team. But they capitalized on the league's playoff system, defeating ADO Den Haag, Den Bosch, and Willem II to secure their promotion.
Since then, the White Lions have been busy strengthening their squad with seven new players and have had an encouraging preseason with six wins, two draws, and just one loss. Anthony Correia's squad will be hoping to build on that success in what's sure to be a tough test at the Johan Cruyff Arena.
Ajax will be missing key players like Josip Sutalo and Brian Brobbey due to injury, and they've also seen several players depart in the off-season. However, they still have their top scorers from last season, Oliver Valaker Edvardsen and Wout Weghorst, who will be looking to get on the scoresheet. Telstar, on the other hand, will need to find new goal scorers after losing Zakaria Eddahchouri and Youssef El Kachati, who combined for 36 goals last season. A few debutants are expected to feature for Telstar, including Daan Reiziger, Nigel Ogidi Nwankwo, and Patrick Brouwer.
