AZ Alkmaar and Heerenveen will meet at AFAS Stadion on Thursday with a place in the Eredivisie playoffs on the line.
Thanks to an unbeaten end to the season, the hosts finished the regular season in fifth spot on 57 points, while their visitors snuck into the final playoff place with a final-day win at the weekend.
Match preview
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AZ Alkmaar return to action on Thursday aiming to move within one game of a European qualifying spot for next season, having fallen just short of a third straight top-four finish in the Eredivisie this term.
After ending the 2023-24 term in fourth spot, De Kaasboeren were only able to manage a fifth-placed finish in their first full campaign under the management of Maarten Martens, earning 57 points from their 34 games having won 16 and lost nine of those.
Following a run of three straight victories in February, they dropped to sixth spot as a result of a seven match winless run, but they bounced back with a fine end to the campaign, putting 10 more points on the board in the final four attempts having firstly bounced back to winning ways by beating Go Ahead Eagles 3-0 away from home.
Then on the back of another 3-0 triumph at home to Groningen and a 3-2 victory away at then-fifth-placed Twente thanks to goals from Ruben van Bommel, Sven Mijnans and Denso Kasius, they finished the regular season at home to Almere City on Sunday and played out a 1-1 draw thanks to David Moller Wolfe‘s equaliser after Thomas Robinet put their visitors ahead.
That draw was enough to see AZ Alkmaar hold onto sixth spot in the Eredivisie, and they will now stake their claim to again feature on the European stage with a home victory on Thursday to progress to the final.
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Their visitors, meanwhile, make the trip aiming to move within one game of European football for the first time since 2012, having snatched ninth spot on the final day.
Heerenveen head into the 2024-25 playoffs thanks to a pleasing Eredivisie campaign, eventually finishing ninth having earned 43 points from their 34 games.
After enjoying back-to-back home victories over Almere City and NEC in April, they were unable to go into the final day in pole position for the division’s final playoff spot, as back-to-back defeats followed at the hands of RKC Waalwijk and Go Ahead Eagles, leaving De Superfriezen just behind Fortuna Sittard.
They were able to regain that place against the odds, though, hosting third-placed Feyenoord led by former boss Robin van Persie and winning 2-0 thanks to first-half goals from Hristiyan Petrov and Milos Lukovic.
Now heading into the playoffs with momentum back on their side, Robin Veldman‘s team will aim to make the most of their ninth-placed finish and progress to the deciding game for a Europa Conference League qualifying place.
Team News
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AZ Alkmaar continue to face several injury issues, including key man Troy Parrott who missed their last five games of the regular season after notching up team-high tallies of 14 league goals and 20 in all competitions this term.
Fellow attacker Jayden Addai and midfielders Jordy Clasie and Kristijan Belic should also remain sidelined, leaving Zico Buurmeester to again join Peer Koopmeiners in the engine room.
Mexx Meerdink should continue to lead the line in Parrott’s absence, having scored nine Eredivisie goals of his own this season, while Ernest Poku and Ruben van Bommel should again join key man Sven Mijnans in support in their 4-2-3-1 setup.
Feyenoord should field a similar starting XI from their 2-0 win over Feyenoord on Sunday, with Pawel Bochniewicz, Jordy de Wijs, Alireza Jahanbakhsh and Mateja Milovanovic remaining confined to the treatment room.
There will be an enforced change between the sticks, though, after goalkeeper Andries Noppert was forced off early in that final-day contest, meaning Mickey van der Hart will deputise from the outset.
Key 20-year-old centre-back Nikolai Hopland will hope to return to the defence from the outset after being reduced to a rare substitute appearance last time out, while Marcus Linday, Luuk Brouwers and Levi Smans should all continue in the midfield behind a front three of Jacob Trenskow and youngsters Milos Lukovic and Eser Gurbuz.
AZ Alkmaar possible starting lineup:
Owusu-Oduro; Kasius, Goes, Penetra, Wolfe; Koopmeiners, Buurmeester; Poku, Mijnans, Van Bommel; Meerdink
Heerenveen possible starting lineup:
Van Der Hart; Braude, Petrov, Hopland, Kohlert; Linday, Brouwers, Smans; Trenskow, Lukovic, Gurbuz
We say: AZ Alkmaar 2-0 Heerenveen
The hosts rebuilt confidence and momentum in the final games of the regular Eredivisie campaign, and even without Parrott’s attacking threat they should have the quality to get past Heerenveen and move within touching distance of a European qualifying spot with a home win on Thursday.
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