Just over three weeks on from their matchday 25 clash initially scheduled for March 9, AZ Alkmaar and RKC Waalwijk will do battle at the AFAS Stadion on Tuesday.
Neither team was able to come away with maximum points on their return to domestic action off the back of the final international break of the season, and they will both be keen to get back to winning ways here.
Match preview
© Imago
AZ Alkmaar’s disastrous run of results across all competitions in March was rounded off with a share of the spoils following Sunday’s thrilling 3-3 stalemate against NEC Nijmegen at Stadion de Goffert.
Like their 2-2 draw against Ajax, where they led on two occasions, Maarten Martens‘s men were once again guilty of failing to hold on to a seemingly decisive advantage as they conceded twice in the final 30 minutes.
Missing out on a fantastic opportunity to close the gap on Feyenoord in fourth place, the Cheeseheads remain sixth in the Eredivisie table with 45 points from 26 games and are guaranteed a shot at featuring in the Conference League playoffs at the very least.
Billed as one of the potential title challengers at the start of proceedings this term, it is safe to say AZ have performed below expectations, although a chance to end the campaign with silverware remains well and truly alive via the KNVB Beker.
On that front, AZ have a grand finale against Go Ahead Eagles to navigate next month, but not before league clashes against Feyenoord and Heracles to come after the sound of the final whistle on Tuesday.
© Imago
Waalwijk’s relegation to the second division continues to draw increasingly closer with every passing week, and it is looking like a matter of when, not if, their stay in the top flight will come to an end for the meantime.
Saturday’s 2-0 defeat to PEC Zwolle saw Henk Fraser‘s men beaten for the fourth game running since the middle of February, three of which have come without Waalwijk managing to find the back of the net.
RKC had won three consecutive matches prior and looked set to climb out of the relegation zone, but their subsequent slump has left them rooted to the bottom of the standings, a whopping 11 points adrift of safety.
With just eight games left to play before the season grinds to a halt, Waalwijk will need a combination of both hard work and good fortune to beat the drop, leaving them with little margin for error from here on out.
Having lost each of their four meetings against Tuesday’s hosts, the away side will need to rally themselves and stem the tide away from home, where they have only managed one victory all season long.
Team News
© Imago
Twenty-nine-year-old Dario Van den Buijs is unfit to play any part for Waalwijk in this one, having not featured since picking up an injury back in December.
Yanick van Osch is also unavailable and is joined on the visitors’ list of absentees by Daouda Weidmann and Faissal Al Mazyani, with the latter serving a suspension.
Sem Westerveld (meniscus) has not taken to the field for AZ Alkmaar since May 9, 2024, missing 44 matches, and is unlikely to return before the current campaign concludes.
Jayden Addai (torn ankle ligaments) and Sven Mijnans (Achilles tendon problems) will sit out Tuesday’s game, while Mayckel Lahdo (foot) and Lewis Schouten are also out of contention.
Ibrahim Sadiq has found the back of the net in both of his last two matches for the home side, and the Ghana international is definitely one to keep a close watch on.
AZ Alkmaar possible starting lineup:
Owusu-Oduro; Wolfe, Martins Indi, Goes, Kasius; Buurmeester, Koopmeiners, Belic; Sadiq, Parrott, Poku
RKC Waalwijk possible starting lineup:
Houwen; Meijers, El Yaakoubi, Van Gelderen; Familia-Castillo, Oukili, Van de Loo, Lelieveld; Ihattaren, Zawada, Margaret
We say: AZ Alkmaar 3-1 RKC Waalwijk
Waalwijk can not buy a win at the moment, and avoiding defeat on Tuesday certainly represents a difficult assignment.
We fully expect the home side to cruise to a fairly routine win come the end of the 90 minutes.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
