Telstar vs Willem II Prediction: In-form El Kachati to carry on form in first leg

Telstar only finished seventh in this season's Eerste Divisie, but booked their place in the Eredivisie promotion/relegation play-off final by beating Den Haag 3-0 on aggregate in the quarter-finals, and Den Bosch 2-1 on aggregate in the semi-finals.

On Thursday (19:00), they host Willem II, who came 16th in the top flight before overcoming Dordrecht after a penalty shootout in the semi-finals, at the 711 Stadium. Below are my Telstar vs Willem II predictions, complete with all the latest team news and match odds, ahead of this first leg in Velsen-Zuid.

Team News

Celtic-linked striker Youssef El Kachati has been Telstar's standout star this season, netting 19 goals in 37 Eerste Divisie appearances before scoring three times in four play-off outings. The Moroccan looks set to lead the line again on Thursday, with Mohamed Hamdaoui among those providing support in attack.

Fellow forward Soufiane Hetli (unspecified) is doubtful of featuring, however, after missing Telstar's previous four play-off games.

Football Odds

Mees Kaandorp, Jayden Turfkruier, Tom Overtoom, Reda Kharchouch and Sebastian Hagedoorn all come on against Den Bosch last time out, and all five players will be hopeful of involvement on Thursday.

Willem II could be without three players - Dani Mathieu (knee), Khaled Razak and Mickael Tirpan (both unspecified) - for their trip to Velsen-Zuid.

Crucially, though, the likes of Ringo Meerveld and Jesse Bosch, who have scored five and six league goals, respectively, this season, are fit to feature in Thursday's first leg.

Telstar vs Willem II Odds

Telstar haven't beaten Willem II since November 2013, losing five of their last six head-to-heads, including both Eerste Divisie contests last season. However, De Witte Leeuwen are 11/10 to win on Thursday, implying a 47.6% probability, while the visitors are 23/10, or a 30.3% chance, to take a lead into Sunday's second leg.

The draw is priced at 23/10, both teams to score at 8/11, and over 2.5 total goals at 10/11.

Anytime Goalscorer - Youssef El Kachati (TEL) @ 6/5

Zakaria Eddahchouri was Telstar's main man in the first half of the season, netting 17 times in 23 Eerste Divisie appearances, but that form attracted interest from across Europe, and he was snapped up by second-division Spanish side Deportivo La Coruna.

Luckily for Anthony Correia's side, El Kachati stepped up to fill the void left by Eddahchouri, ending the campaign on 22 goals, including three in the play-offs.

The 25-year-old has scored in seven of his last eight games, and as Telstar's designated penalty-taker, is the standout candidate in the anytime goalscorer market on Thursday.

Telstar will be desperate to win their home game, ideally by a couple of goals, to give themselves the best chance ahead of the second leg, so they shouldn't be too negative here, and El Kachati should get a few opportunities to add to his season tally against a side that hasn't kept a clean sheet since December 13.

Match Result - Telstar @ 11/10

Since losing 3-1 at Volendam on March 11, Telstar have been in terrific form, losing just one of their last 12 games, seven of which they have won in regulation time.

Willem II, meanwhile, have been awful all season, but particularly since the turn of the year. They lost all 17 Eredivisie matches in 2025 before losing 2-1 to Dordrecht in the first leg of their semi-final play-off tie last week, although they ended their wait for a win in the second leg, triumphing 3-2 on home soil before advancing after a penalty shootout.

Still, one slender win is unlikely to have turned the tide, and Telstar have simply built up too much momentum to fall in Thursday's first leg.

The hosts have lost at the 711 Stadium since February 21, winning six of their last eight in Velsen-Zuid, and they will carry their confidence into this game, so I'm backing a Telstar victory at just over EVS.

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