David Flower
Dailysports's expert
One of the matches of the next round of the Dutch Cup will take place on Tuesday at the "AFAS" stadium, where local Alkmaar will face Ajax. I suggest a bet on goals in this match with a good coefficient.
Match Preview
The hosts had an excellent away match against the league leaders PSV over the weekend. AZ Alkmaar led twice in the scoreline, but the "farmers" managed to equalize with a penalty in the 85th minute. AZ extended their impressive unbeaten streak to nine matches. In the Eredivisie, the team had won five consecutive matches before their trip to Eindhoven.
At the moment, AZ Alkmaar occupies sixth place in the league table. The team has accumulated 33 points after 18 matches. The gap to the Champions League zone is significant – nine points, but they are only six points away from third place. In the previous round of the Dutch Cup, the team defeated Groningen 2-1 at home.
As for Amsterdam's Ajax, the "Sons of the Gods" hosted Waalwijk at home over the weekend and secured a 2-1 victory. This win marked their third consecutive victory in the Eredivisie, and across all competitions, Ajax remains unbeaten in their last five matches – four wins and one draw.
After 18 matches, Ajax holds second place in the league table with 42 points. Their gap to the leaders was reduced to four points after the last round, while Utrecht trails by just three points. In the Dutch Cup, Ajax defeated Telstar 2-0 in the previous round.
Probable Lineups
- AZ Alkmaar: Owusu-Oduro, Meijcom, Goes, Penetra, Wolf, Koopmeiners, Clasie, Lado, Mijnans, Poku, Parrott
- Ajax: Pasveer, Hato, Baas, Rugani, Rensch, Taylor, Henderson, Klaassen, Gods, Brobbey, Berghuis
Match Facts and Head-to-Head
- AZ Alkmaar has beaten Ajax in their last three matches and in four of the last six, remaining undefeated in these encounters.
- The "Over 2.5 Goals" bet has been successful in 3 out of the last 5 matches.
- The "Both Teams to Score" bet has been successful in 3 out of the last 5 matches.
Prediction
Bookmakers see no clear favorite in this match, and this perspective seems reasonable. AZ holds an advantage in head-to-head encounters and is in good form overall. Our bet: Total Under 3.0 with a coefficient of 1.74.
