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

AZ Alkmaar and Vitesse will do battle at the AFAS Stadion on Sunday in search of a place in the playoffs of the 2022-23 Conference League.

AZ defeated Heerenveen in the previous round courtesy of a 4-3 aggregate victory, while Vitesse saw off the threat of FC Utrecht by the same scoreline.

Match preview

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AZ Alkmaar fell to a 2-1 defeat against Vitesse at GelRedome in the first leg of their final qualifying round of matches for the Conference League playoffs.

Pascal Jansen's men fell behind to Thomas Buitink's strike midway through the first half but drew level through Jordy Clasie just before the hour mark, only for Lois Openda to net a late winner.

The Cheeseheads now head into the return leg with a mountain to climb as they seek to preserve their European ambitions.

However, Sunday's hosts will be confident of getting the job done having also completed a second-leg turnaround against Heerenveen

Off the back of a sensational 3-0 victory against Utrecht on Sunday, Vitesse picked up where they left off by narrowly edging AZ last time out.

Unsurprisingly, Thomas Letsch's men had their backs against the wall for the majority of the contest but a spirited display at both ends of the pitch saw them come out on top.

Geel en Zwart are now 90 minutes away from securing a place in the Conference League playoffs proper, but there is still work to be done in the second leg.

Sunday's visitors were a part of the inaugural edition of UEFA's third-tier competition and a positive result this weekend would see them close in on participating in the sophomore event.

Team News

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Owen Wijndal has missed each of AZ's last three outings with a muscle injury and the defender is expected to play no part on Sunday.

Fredrik Midtsjo is also a huge doubt for this one after he was forced with an injury just 15 minutes into his last outing.

Meanwhile, Yusuf Barasi is a guaranteed absentee for the home side, with the 19-year-old facing an extended spell on the sidelines having undergone knee surgery.

Vitesse will be without the services of Yann Gboho and Dominik Oroz, while Jacob Rasmussen is out of contention through an ankle problem.

Lois Openda has now been involved in three goals in his last two games against this weekend's opponents, and the Belgian forward is one to keep an eye on.

AZ Alkmaar possible starting lineup:

Vindahl; Hatzidiakos, Beukema, Martins Indi, Kerkez; Clasie, De Wit, Reijnders; Karlsson, Pavlidis, Evjen

Vitesse possible starting lineup:

Houwen; Yapi, Bazoer, Doekhi, Manhoef; Domgjoni, Tronstad, Bero; Vroegh, Openda, Buitink

We say: AZ Alkmaar 3-1 Vitesse

The onus is firmly on AZ to take control of proceedings as they seek to overhaul a first-leg deficit, and while we expect an open and end-to-end affair, we are also backing the hosts to carry the day and book their place in the Conference League playoffs.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.