Our prediction for this match:
Leipzig and AZ Alkmaar face each other in a pre-season friendly at Leipzig’s training centre. The Red Bulls failed to put an end to Bayern Munchen’s dominance in the Bundesliga last term, and, to make things even worse for the fans, defensive duo Dayot Upamecano – Ibrahima Konate left the club. Leipzig are eager to kick off preseason in great manner, and we are positive that they will adopt an attack-minded approach in Saturday’s clash.
AZ, on the other hand, have big ambitions for the new Eredivisie campaign, and given their attacking potential, we believe that there is a big value in betting on over 2.5 goals. The Eredivisie outfit looked sharp in front of goal in back-to-back wins over Oss (3-0) and NEC (4-1), which is yet another reason why this betting option should be considered. The two teams have never met before in a friendly.
Highlighted Player (Yussuf Poulsen):
Yussuf Poulsen is a Danish footballer who started his youth career at BK Skjold. At the age of 14 he joined Lyngby and he made his debut for the first team on 4 December, 2011. He came as a substitute in a match against Horsens after 84 minutes, substituting Mathias Tauber. However, he made no more than five league appearances for Lyngby in the 2011/2012 season.
Despite the fact that Lyngby dropped to Denmark 1st Division, Poulsen did not leave the club in the summer transfer window and it has to be noted that he made 30 appearances for the Vikings in the 2012/2013 campaign. On 4 July, 2013 he signed a deal with Leipzig and he has been playing for the German outfit ever since.
The 193-cm-tall attacker is capable of playing as both right and left winger. Poulsen’s father is Tanzanian, but he decided to represent the Danish national team. He made his debut for the senior team against Albania on 11 October, 2014. Poulsen scored his first ever goal for Denmark in a 2-0 win over Serbia on June 13, 2015.
Highlighted Team (AZ):
AZ Alkmaar are a professional football club that play their home matches at AFAS Stadion. The venue was opened on 4 August, 2006 and the construction of the stadium cost €38 million. AFAS Stadion is able to hold 17 023 spectators.
The Cheeseheads were founded on 10 May, 1967 and they won their first trophy in 1981, finishing the season 12 points clear of Dutch giants Ajax. 18 years later AZ clinched their second Eredivisie trophy, with the team finishing the 2008/2009 campaign with 80 points, 11 clear of second-placed Twente. In 1981 the club made it to the UEFA Cup final, but English side Ipswich Town proved to be a big catch for the Dutch team.
AZ’s home kits are red and white and they wear black shirts when playing on the road. The likes of Shota Arveladze, Jozy Altidore, Ron Vlaar, Joris Mathijsen, Graziano Pelle, Simon Poulsen, Moussa Dembele and Sergio Romero are notable footballers who played for AZ in the past.