Telstar vs Sparta Rotterdam — Tips & Analysis

Over 2.75: Telstar are the engine of this game. Eleven of their last 14 games had 3 or more goals, and their games average just over 3 goals in total. At BUKO Stadion they have won four of six and scored more than 2 a game there. They also won at NEC on the opening weekend, so the front foot habit has carried into the new season. Sparta are the problem side. They have gone seven away games without a win, letting in almost 3 a game on those trips and scoring under one. They have lost 8 of their last 14 overall. They arrive missing midfielders Joshua Kitolano and Shunsuke Mito, which leaves Steijn very little room to change things. Telstar beat this same opponent 4-1 at BUKO in April. A home side that attacks against an away side that leaks usually means goals. A 3-0 Telstar win is the most likely score, and that lands on the right side of this one. The catch is the head to head record. The last seven meetings averaged only 2 goals a game, and Sparta held Feyenoord to 0-1 on the opening day. They can sit deep and make a game ugly when they choose to, and a 1-0 or 2-0 would kill this. We still expect Telstar to break them open.