Our prediction for this Netherlands Eredivisie match:
Sparta Rotterdam
Match Time & Date:
14/08/2022
16:45
Prediction: 1-1
AZ
There will be fireworks when Sparta Rotterdam and AZ Alkmaar face each other at Sparta Stadion Het Kasteel on Matchday 2. The Rotterdammers played out a boring goalless draw with Heerenveen at the weekend, and yet another low-scoring affair is on the cards as AZ Alkmaar are solid at the back. Head coach Maurice Steijn should have a full squad to choose from for Sunday’s showdown.
The visitors, on the other hand, faced no difficulties in a 2-0 win over Go Ahead Eagles, and seeing that they will continue to rely on their rock-solid defence, punters from all four corners of the world can find value in betting on under 2.5 goals. In their last meeting in the Dutch top flight the two teams played out a 1-1 draw. Defender Yukinari Sugawara should be the only absentee in the away side.
Highlighted Player (Bryan Smeets):
Bryan Smeets is a product of MVV Maastricht football academy who plays for Sparta Rotterdam in the Dutch Eredivisie. Smeets scored 23 goals in 144 league appearances for MVV before joining De Graafschap in 2015.
After his spell with the Superboeren, the midfielder moved to Cambuur in the 2017/18 season. The following season he joined Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv where he scored 12 goals in 37 appearances in the elite division. Bryan Smeets then decided to return to Netherlands as he joined Sparta Rotterdam in the 2019/20 season. He scored his first goal with De Kasteelheren in a 4-0 win over RKS Waalwijk on September 21, 2019.
His main position is attacking midfielder, but he is used as both central midfielder and right winger as well. Bryan Smeets has a contract with Sparta Rotterdam which should expire on June 30, 2021. He is a two-footed player.
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.
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