Our prediction for this Netherlands Eredivisie match:
All eyes will be on AFAS Stadion when AZ Alkmaar and PSV take on each other in the Eredivisie round 27. AZ Alkmaar are a real force to be reckoned with at home, with the team eyeing their fourth consecutive win on home soil, but the game against PSV will be anything but a walk in the park for Pascal Jansen’s troops. PSV, on the other hand, came from behind to share the spoils with Feyenoord in their last league match.
Roger Schmidt’s troops are eager to melt Ajax’s advantage in the Eredivisie standings, and given their attacking potential, we believe that there is a big value in betting on over 2.5 goals. You should know that over 2.5 goals have been netted in each of AZ’s previous five league fixtures. In the first half of the season AZ Alkmaar recorded a 3-1 win over PSV.
Highlighted Player (Bruno Martins Indi):
Bruno Martins Indi was born in Portugal, but his family quickly moved to Rotterdam, where he joined Feyenoord’s youth set-up in 2005. Netherlands international has made his professional debut in 2010 with Feyenoord, where he spent four years as mainstay before a move to FC Porto on the back of impressive display at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
Bruno Martins Indi spent most of his career playing as centre-back, but he can equally fill in on various positions in defence. Bruno Martins Indi had been deemed a victim to the extreme recolution in Porto’s central defensive department, having fallen out of favour with Nuno Espirito Santo and even being punished with a place in Porto’s reserves.
During the summer transfer window the 24-year-old defender insisted on a move away from the club with Premier League being his preferred destination. On the final day of the transfer marked Bruno Martins Indi has been set to Stoke City on a season long loan.
Highlighted Team (PSV):
Based in Eindhoven, Netherlands, PSV is a professional football club competing the top flight of the Dutch football, Eredivisie. PSV play their home games at the Phillips Stadium which can accommodate 35,000 people. Over the course of its 100-year-old history, PSV has become one of the country’s Big Three clubs that has dominated Eredivisie along with Ajax and Feyenoord.
Known as a stepping stone for future world-class stars, PSV propelled the likes of Ruud Gullit, Ronald Koeman, Romario, Ronaldo, Ruud van Nistelrooy and most recently Arjen Robben. The Boeren (Peasants) as they call themselves take pride in Eindhoven’s status of being a provincial city and never hide their Brabantian heritage which allow them to enjoy their uniqueness in the company of more prominent clubs from Dutch big cities.
The Peasants boast 23 domestic league titles and 9 KNVB Cup trophies. They have also managed two major European titles – European Cup in 1987-88 and UEFA Cup in 1977-78.