Ajax vs AZ Alkmaar - prediction, team news, lineups

AFC Ajax invited AZ Alkmaar to the Johan Cruijff Arena successful Amsterdam for an Eredivisie matchday 11 fixture connected Saturday.

Ajax are 2nd connected 21 points aft beating Sparta Rotterdam 2-1 past weekend, 3 down leaders Feyenoord, portion AZ are a constituent further backmost connected 20 and level with PSV Eindhoven and Twente.

The head-to-head favours the visitors, who person not mislaid to Ajax successful 11 meetings since a 2-0 KNVB Cup semi-final decision connected March 3, 2022, and who won 6-0 successful the cupful circular of 16 successful Alkmaar connected January 14, a effect that matched Ajax’s heaviest decision successful nonrecreational football.

Match preview

Michel Sanchez took complaint connected June 2 aft Ajax finished 5th connected the Eredivisie table with 56 points, the club’s joint-lowest full since 1962, and De Godenzonen person won six, drawn 3 and mislaid 1 of their 10 league games nether him.

All 5 of their distant league games person been won, astatine PEC Zwolle (2-0), Telstar (4-0), Fortuna Sittard (5-1), Groningen (5-2) and Sparta (2-1), whereas the Arena has produced 1 win, 3 draws and a 3-1 decision to PSV Eindhoven.

The location occupation is defensive, with Ajax conceding successful each 5 league games astatine the Arena, 9 goals successful full against 4 distant from home, including 2-2 draws with Heerenveen and Excelsior.

Ajax went 3 games without a win, finishing with a 2-1 decision astatine Hajduk Split successful the Conference League connected October 15, but person since won astatine Groningen, against Atalanta and astatine Sparta, scoring 9 goals and conceding three.

Julian Brandt has six league goals and 2 assists and created some first-half goals astatine Sparta, portion Nigerian striker Tolu Arokodare, connected indebtedness from Wolverhampton Wanderers, has 5 league goals aft scoring successful first-half stoppage clip successful Rotterdam.

Abdellah Ouazane, 17, scored Ajax’s opener astatine Sparta successful the 22nd infinitesimal aft besides scoring against Atalanta, and Daley Blind made his archetypal quality since a backmost wounded successful mid-August arsenic a precocious substitute.

Leeroy Echteld took implicit from the sacked Maarten Martens successful January, days aft the 6-0 triumph implicit Ajax, and was handed a declaration moving to 2028 aft AZ won the KNVB Cup.

The Kaasboeren person won six, drawn 2 and mislaid 2 of their 10 league games, scoring 20 goals and conceding 12, which leaves them 5th connected extremity quality astatine level points with PSV Eindhoven and Twente.

AZ person taken 1 constituent from their past 3 league games, losing 2-0 astatine Feyenoord connected October 10, drafting 2-2 astatine Cambuur connected October 18 aft Mexx Meerdink’s 83rd-minute punishment and losing 2-0 astatine location to Twente connected October 25.

Sondre Orjasaeter enactment Twente up successful the 84th minute, and though Daouda Weidmann was aboriginal sent disconnected for a 2nd yellowish card, Lucas Vennegoor of Hesselink made it 2-0 successful stoppage time.

Away from location successful the league AZ person won astatine Utrecht (4-1), Fortuna Sittard (2-0) and Heerenveen (3-2), drawn astatine Cambuur and mislaid astatine Feyenoord.

In the Europa League they followed a 1-0 decision astatine Sunderland with a 2-1 location triumph implicit Hapoel Be’er Sheva and a 4-0 triumph astatine Ararat-Armenia connected October 22, wherever Weslley Patati scored twice.

Ajax Eredivisie form:

Ajax signifier (all competitions):

AZ Alkmaar Eredivisie form:

AZ Alkmaar signifier (all competitions):

Team News

For Ajax, Kasper Dolberg is the longest-term absentee aft a palmy cognition connected the genu wounded helium suffered successful grooming with Denmark during the October planetary break.

Caio Henrique and Anton Gaaei are not expected backmost until aft the planetary break, according to Michel Sanchez, portion Simon Adingra and Oliver Edvardsen are besides out.

Steven Berghuis has been retired since leaving the triumph implicit Willem II connected September 15, and Sanchez said helium expects him to beryllium disposable against AZ.

Blind came disconnected the seat astatine Sparta aft a backmost wounded that had sidelined him since mid-August, and Joeri Heerkens was among the substitutes.

Davy Klaassen replaced Viktor Tsygankov astatine half-time astatine Sparta, Oscar Gloukh came connected for Ouazane successful the 61st minute, and Marcos Leonardo was an unused substitute.

For the visitors, Ayoub Oufkir is suspended for the travel to Amsterdam aft a yellowish paper successful the 70th infinitesimal of the Twente defeat, having travel connected arsenic a substitute successful the 63rd.

Wouter Goes missed the Twente crippled due to the fact that helium was not match-fit, with Wesley Hoedt and Lewis Schouten starting successful cardinal defence, and his availability for Saturday is unclear.

Kees Smit has trained again aft an wounded picked up connected Jong Oranje duty.

Mexx Meerdink has 4 league goals, Ro-Zangelo Daal has 5 by our count, and the Kaasboeren person kept 3 cleanable sheets successful 10 league games.

Ajax imaginable starting lineup:

Ter Stegen; Rosa, Kehrer, Janse, Baas; Mokio, Amrabat, Brandt; Tsygankov, Arokodare, Ouazane

AZ Alkmaar imaginable starting lineup:

De Busser; Dijkstra, Schouten, Hoedt, Chavez; Kwakman, Koopmeiners; Patati, Byskov, Daal; Meerdink

We say: Ajax 2-1 AZ Alkmaar

Ajax are the much unsafe broadside close now, with 29 league goals successful 10 games against 20 for AZ, and 9 goals successful their past 3 matches crossed competitions.

AZ person failed to people successful 2 of their past 3 league games and taken 1 constituent from nine, with Saturday their 5th lucifer successful 17 days.

The lawsuit for AZ rests connected that 11-meeting unbeaten tally and connected Ajax conceding successful each location league game, which is wherefore this forecast gives the visitors a extremity done Meerdink oregon Patati adjacent without Oufkir.

The examination with January is weaker than it looks, due to the fact that the Ajax that mislaid 6-0 had Fred Grim connected the touchline and Vitezslav Jaros successful goal, whereas this squad has Michel Sanchez, Marc-Andre ter Stegen and summertime signings Brandt and Arokodare.

With Arokodare successful form, Brandt supplying the passes and AZ abbreviated of Oufkir and perchance Goes, Ajax should people twice, and a constrictive location triumph would beryllium their archetypal against AZ since March 3, 2022.

For information investigation of the astir apt results, scorelines and much for this lucifer delight click here.