Our prediction for this Netherlands Eredivisie match:
AZ
Match Time & Date:
17/08/2024
20:00
Prediction: 3-1
Nijmegen
Buoyed by a hard-fought 1-0 win over Almere City, AZ Alkmaar will look to give fans yet another reason to celebrate when they take on NEC Nijmegen in their first home game of the season. The Cheese Farmers have turned their AFAS Stadion into a real fortress, but they will have to prove their worth on the field. All Meerdink, Owusu-Oduro, and Westerveld should miss out with injuries.
Rogier Meijer’s troops, on the other hand, failed to impress in the opening match of the season, with the team losing to Twente on home soil. As AZ Alkmaar outclassed Nijmegen 3-0 in their last meeting in the Dutch top flight, we believe that there is a big value in betting on the home side. Midfielder Borges Sanches misses out with injury, while defender Philippe Sandler faces race against the clock to be fit for Saturday’s encounter.
Highlighted Player (Riechedly Bazoer):
Despite playing for PSV during his youth career, Riechedly Bazoer made his Eredivisie debut with Ajax. The central midfielder who was born on 12 October, 1996 in Utrecht, scored his first goal for Ajax on 15 February, 2015 in a 4-2 victory over Twente.
Four days later he made his European debut with the Amsterdammers, taking part in a 1-0 win over Legia in the Europa League. Bazoer scored five goals in 29 league appearances for Ajax in the 2015/2016 season, but he failed to win the domestic trophy with Frank de Boer’s troops.
Speaking of his international career, Bazoer has two caps for Netherlands U21 team and he made his debut for the first team on 13 November, 2015 against Wales. It has to be noted that he came as a late substitute in the 3-2 victory over the Dragons. Back in 2012 the right-footed midfielder won the UEFA U17 European Championship with the Dutch national team.
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.
