Prediction: Vitesse vs AZ Alkmaar

Prediction: Draw

Best Odds: 12/5

Bookmaker: 888sport

The regular season of the Eredivisie has officially come to an end but that doesn’t mean the action is all said and done. There’s still a lot of drama to get through and this week, we’re going to see two sides battle it out in the two-legged play-off final to determine who qualifies for the UEFA Europa Conference League. Tomorrow, the first leg takes place as Vitesse Arnhem lock horns with AZ Alkmaar.

Vitesse

Off the back of some Loïs Openda magic, Vitesse have enjoyed a decent season that saw them break back into the top six of the Eredivisie. They also made it all the way to the quarter-finals of the KNVB Cup, the round of 16 in the Conference League and while they may not be known for blowing the opposition out of the water, they certainly know how to grind out results when it matters the most.

Team News

Frederiksen is out through suspension for this one with the following players being unavailable due to injury: Rasmussen, Wittek, Oroz and Gboho.

AZ Alkmaar

It’s been over a decade since AZ Alkmaar won the Eredivisie title and even though finishing in the top five was a nice accomplishment this season, they’ll want to figure out why they can’t quite break through to that elite level. They got to the last 16 of the Conference League this time around, the semi-finals of the KNVB Cup, and yet the big question always seems to be “what’s next?”.

Team News

Pavlidis is expected to lead the line following another strong season with the only confirmed injury absences being Helmer and Duin.

Factors to Consider

• AZ finished 5th in Eredivisie with 61 points whereas Vitesse finished 6th with 51 points.
• Vitesse have won three, drawn one and lost two of their last six games.
• AZ have won one, drawn three and lost two of their last six games.
• Vitesse have scored 10 goals and conceded nine in their last six games.
• AZ have scored 10 goals and conceded 11 in their last six games.

Conclusion

We expect to see a layer of trepidation hanging over the heads of both clubs in this one given that there’s one more leg to come. We think they’ll start off with an ‘all guns blazing’ type of mentality but as soon as things get down to the nitty-gritty, they’ll become trigger shy, or at the very least won’t be able to hit the target. We’ll shoot for a 0-0 or 1-1 prediction here, leaving everything down to the second leg later in the week.

Prediction: Draw

Best Odds: 12/5

Bookmaker: 888sport