Gertjan Verbeek’s men would be gunning to bag all three points against the Heraclieden after dropping points against Heerenveen last weekend.
On match-day 24, AZ Alkmaar will battle against Heracles Almelo at AFAS Stadion on Saturday, March 3.
AZ Alkmaar
The Alkmaar outfit finished fourth last season, and were aiming to compete for the title this term. Despite being at the summit of the table for several weeks, they now find themselves in the chasing pack with Dutch http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/PSV-c40281 Eindhoven leading the charge.
AZ are currently occupying the second spot in the league table, a mere two points behind the league leaders. They have staged impressive shows at home and their record on the road is not bad either. The Alkmaar outfit have an overall record of 23 played,
14 won, 4 drawn and 5 lost.
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Heracles-Almelo-c39520
After finishing eighth in the league table last term, the Heraclieden would have been dreaming about a finish in the top four Eredivisie sides in the 2011/12 campaign.
However, they have thus far failed to achieve consistent results this season. They have managed to grind out decent results at home, but their dreadful performances on the road, winning two of their 11 fixtures, have dropped them down to 10th
spot on the league table. The Heraclieden have an overall record of 23 played, 8 won, 6 drawn and 9 lost.
The Almelo outfit head coach, Peter Bosz, was all praises for AZ and revealed that his side will face a tough challenge in their upcoming league encounter.
“AZ is a good team. They have played brilliantly throughout this season and are competing for the title”, Bosz was quoted as saying to Voetbal International.
Head-to-Head statistics
AZ have remained the better side in their last five encounters against the Heraclieden, winning three fixtures. The outfit from Almelo managed to emerge victorious in one match while the remaining tie ended in a stalemate.
Players to watch
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Jozy-Altidore-c19634 – AZ Alkmaar
The American ace started the 2011/12 campaign impressively, but his good form faded away as the season progressed. However, after scoring a brace in his side’s 3-3 draw against Heerenveen last weekend,the 22-year-old seems to have rediscovered his goalscoring
form.
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Everton-c13019 – Heracles Almelo
The 28-year-old has already netted seven goals while setting up two more in 23 appearances. He would be keen to add more to his tally in this encounter and help his side claim a good result away from home to better their league standings.
Prediction
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/AZ-c38571 will not be content with anything less than three points against the Heraclieden, to remain in the race for the Eredivisie title. Apart from their last weekend’s 3-3 draw, they have thus far performed brilliantly this term.
On the other hand, Heracles are struggling to perform as a unit, which was evident in their 3-1 loss at the hands of http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/VVV-Venlo-c40915. Furthermore, they have failed to impress while playing on the road. AZ are clear favourites to emerge victorious by a 2-0 score
line.
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