Preview: AZ Alkmaar vs. Ajax - prediction, team news, lineups

Less than a month after their 6-0 thrashing by AZ Alkmaar in the KNVB Beker, Ajax travel to AFAS Stadion on Sunday in the pick of this weekend’s Eredivisie action, aiming for a different outcome.

However, the Amsterdam giants are winless in this fixture since March 2022, and they head to Alkmaar looking to snap a 10-match run without defeating their hosts.

Match preview

When Maarten Martens oversaw that heavy 6-0 defeat of Ajax in the last 16 of the domestic cup, little did the AZ boss know he was about to get the heave-ho in Alkmaar.

However, less than a week after extending their unbeaten streak against De Joden to 10 matches, Martens was gone, with the higher-ups in Alkmaar taking decisive action after a 3-1 defeat by PEC Zwolle, a loss that marked the Cheese Farmers’ sixth in the Eredivisie.

They have since suffered one more — a 3-1 defeat in Alkmaar by free-scoring NEC — to continue their mixed results under interim boss Lee-Roy Echteld, who should remain in situ until the campaign concludes.

AZ responded to last weekend’s league defeat with a narrow 2-1 success over FC Twente in the cup to progress to the tournament’s semi-finals, edging closer to a showpiece final and a fifth KNVB Beker crown, and their first since 2013.

First, they must navigate a tricky period that has seen them claim just two wins from their last 10 Eredivisie matches, losing six times in that run.

Regardless of those results, thrashing Ajax in mid-January to secure the club’s seventh win over the Amsterdam giants in 10 meetings and a sixth triumph in seven — drawing 2-2 in March 2025 — should fill fans with optimism about a positive outcome, irrespective of pre-match form in Alkmaar.

Despite avoiding defeat in eight consecutive Eredivisie matches, Fred Grim will not expect a tame challenge from the Cheese Farmers, given how his team were unbeaten in seven across all competitions before suffering that heavy loss at AFAS Stadion.

Less than a month later, Ajax return to a ground where they have not won since March 2022, seeking to end a barren run in Alkmaar.

Since their cup success nearly four years ago, the Amsterdam giants have not defeated the Cheese Farmers in six visits, a statistic they seek to change on Sunday.

Following their cup exit at the hands of this weekend's visitors, Grim’s team are unbeaten in three league games, even if two have ended in 2-2 draws, further highlighting Ajax’s ongoing defensive issues and lack of clean sheets.

In four of their last five Eredivisie fixtures, Ajax have conceded two goals, drawing 2-2 against NEC, Go Ahead Eagles and SBV Excelsior, while they edged out Telstar 3-2 last month.

Those draws perhaps explain why the fourth-placed club have not climbed higher in the table, with their tendency for stalemates (eight overall) preventing them from overtaking current second-placed Feyenoord, who have wobbled significantly over the last few months.

With the Amsterdam outfit only one point behind the Rotterdam giants, they could end the weekend in second or third in what is becoming a four- or five-way battle for the coveted two spots behind PSV Eindhoven.

AZ Alkmaar Eredivisie form:

AZ Alkmaar form (all competitions):

Ajax Eredivisie form:

Ajax form (all competitions):

Team News

While AZ will assess Kees Smit and Mexx Meerdink, the trio of Jordy Clasie, Sven Mijnans and Denso Kasius are expected to miss out.

Rome Jayden Owusu-Oduro made a stunning seven saves in the 2-1 cup victory over Twente, while Troy Parrott was the hero at the other end, scoring and assisting to continue his rich vein of decisive contributions.

Parrott has been involved in five goals (three goals, two assists) in his last four appearances for the club, and he bids to keep that fine run going against Ajax.

Beyond Ko Itakura, the away side have a healthy squad to choose from against AZ, which could lift optimism as they seek to avoid another disappointing result in Alkmaar.

Three of Mika Godts’s 10 Eredivisie goals have been match-winning efforts, only trailing the five game-deciding strikes from Sparta Rotterdam’s Tobias Lauritsen and Ayase Ueda, and PSV’s Guus Til (four), and the forward aims to be decisive again on Sunday.

Godts’s game-deciding qualities are further demonstrated by his team-high seven assists, highlighting his dual threat as both scorer and provider.

AZ Alkmaar possible starting lineup:

Owusu-Oduro; Maikuma, Goes, Penetra, De Wit; Koopmeiners, Boogaard; Sadiq, Sin, Jensen; Parrott

Ajax possible starting lineup:

Jaros; Gaaei, Sutalo, Baas, Mokio; Klaassen, Regeer, Steur; Boundia, Dolberg, Godts

We say: AZ Alkmaar 3-1 Ajax

The psychological scars of that 6-0 thrashing may still haunt the visitors as they return to a ground where they have not tasted victory in nearly four years.

AZ seem to have Ajax’s number regardless of who is in the dugout and should find plenty of joy against a backline that has conceded two goals in four of their last five league fixtures.

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