AZ Alkmaar will be hoping to keep themselves in the hunt for Europa League qualification when they travel to the Goffertstadion to take on NEC this Sunday, in the latest round of Eredivisie fixtures.
Alkmaar are in fourth place, but third is within reach if Ajax slip up in their final two games, while Nijmegen are currently sitting in 10th.
Match preview
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NEC find themselves in a similar position to the 2021-22 campaign, in which they finished in 11th place, given that they are in 10th, although they could still finish as high as eighth, if other results go in their favour.
It would be a big ask, however, as Nijmegen currently trail eighth-placed Heerenveen by four points with just two games left to play, and they have been in very poor form since the beginning of April.
Rogier Meijer's side have lost four of their last six games, including a crucial home match against the aforementioned Heerenveen, during which they squandered their 2-1 lead in the final 10 minutes, losing 3-2 in a hammer blow to their chances of finishing in the top eight.
NEC's misery was compounded with a 4-0 defeat away at FC Twente last time out, which renders them very unlikely to finish in the Europa Conference League playoff places, although there is still an outside chance.
Nijmegen need to win to stay in contention, but they have been very poor at the Goffertstadion as of late, losing three and drawing one of their last four games in front of their own fans.
Not only that, but Meijer's side come up against formidable opposition in AZ Alkmaar, who are on track to qualify for the Europa Conference League once again, having reached the semi-final of the competition this season.
AZ put up a spirited fight against West Ham United over two legs, but they came up just short, losing 3-1 on aggregate, although they should still be very proud of reaching that stage of the competition.
Manager Pascal Jansen may have his eye on a loftier goal, however, as his side are currently two points behind third-placed Ajax, meaning they could still qualify for the Europa League, depending on the results in their final two games.
After a slight dip in form at the beginning of April, AZ Alkmaar have now picked up 10 points from their last four Eredivisie games, most recently defeating FC Emmen 5-1 at home in what was a top-quality performance.
Having now missed out on reaching the Europa Conference League final, AZ's sole focus is on their league campaign, and they are tasked with beating a side they have a very good recent record against, having lost just one of the last seven meetings between the two sides.
Team News
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NEC have a number of players still missing with injury, including Robin Roefs, Calvin Verdonk and Mathias De Wolf, who have all been absent for quite some time.
There are no fresh injury concerns for Meijer to contend with, but he may choose to make a few changes to his side given the heavy 4-0 defeat last time out, with Pedro Marques replacing Landry Dimata at striker, and Jordy Bruijn coming in for Oussama Tannane in midfield.
As for AZ, Jansen may mix things up given that his side were in action on Thursday night, with Dani de Wit potentially coming back in at central midfield, replacing Sven Mijnans, while Mayckel Lahdo could replace Myron van Brederode.
Bruno Martins Indi is still missing with a hip injury, so Sam Beukema and Pantelis Chatzidiakos are set to continue in the centre of defence.
NEC possible starting lineup:
Cillessen; Van Rooij, Marquez, Sandler, El Karouani; Proper, Schone, Tavsan, Tannane, Mattsson; Dimata
AZ Alkmaar possible starting lineup:
Ryan; Sugawara, Beukema, Chatzidiakos, Kerkez; Reijnders, De Wit, Clasie; Van Brederode, Karlsson, Pavlidis
We say: NEC 0-3 AZ Alkmaar
AZ Alkmaar are no longer in the Europa Conference League, meaning they will be fully focussed on trying to reach the Europa League via their final position in the Eredivisie, and we expect them to get the job done on Sunday.
NEC have totally fallen apart at completely the wrong stage of the season, and they have been very poor at home for quite some time, meaning it would not be a surprise if the visitors win by a comfortable margin.
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Top tip
Dominic Lund
