Sigthorsson and Bulykin will shine in AZ Alkmaar vs. ADO Den Haag – Dutch Eredivisie preview
It will be a top-half-of-the-table clash when AZ Alkmaar clash with http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/ADO-Den-Haag-c38221 at AZ Stadion on Saturday, April 16.
AZ Alkmaar
AZ are coming in to this match on the back of a hard fought 1-1 stalemate against http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/AZ-c38571’s leading goal scorer is fit to play the fixture against ADO.
AZ have remained unbeaten in their last four encounters and will be hoping that their good form remains intact until the end of the season. The Alkmaar outfit have played superbly throughout the 2010/11 season in front of their home crowd and also on the road. They have an overall record of 30 played, 15 won, 8 drawn, and 7 lost.
The outfit from Alkmaar are currently placed fifth in the league table, trailing the last UEFA Champions League spot by nine points. With 12 points left to play for, AZ’s chances to play in the Europe’s most prestigious club competition look farfetched.
Gertjan Verbeek, the AZ manager, will be satisfied with his troops performances so far this season. However, he will be eyeing a top four finish to cement a UEFA Europa League berth for his team.
ADO Den Haag
Prior to the season kick-off, nobody in Hague expected ADO to be among the top five teams at this stage of the campaign. They had finished 15th the previous season and expectations were low going into this term.
ADO are currently placed fourth in the league table, trailing the last Champions League berth by eight points. With four weeks of action left to play in the season, the team’s primary objective would be to qualify for European football for next season after agonizing wait of four decades.
The Hague outfit are coming in to this match on the back of a 1-0 win over http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Vitesse-c40905 Arnhem. They are enjoying remarkable form as they have won four of their last five Eredivisie encounters.
ADO have staged dominant showings in front of their home crowd, losing only twice in 15 encounters. However, they have performed inconsistently on the road, winning only six of their 15 away fixtures. ADO will be looking to bag all three points in the upcoming duel and improve their record on the road.
Players to watch
AZ missed their star striker, Kolbeinn Sigthorsson, in their contest against NAC last week. The Icelandic forward has scored 11 goals in 28 appearances for his team. His attacking contribution would be critical for the home side in this encounter.
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Dmitri-Bulykin-c11392 is the leading goal scorer in Eredivisie this season, scoring 18 goals in just 25 appearances. It will be a difficult task for the home to contain him.
Head-to-Head statistics
AZ have remained the better side in the last five head-to-head encounters. The Alkmaar outfit won three matches while ADO emerged victorious in the remaining two.
Prediction
Both these sides are in tremendous form this season and making it hard to pick a winner. However, ADO’s recent form makes them favourites to win the game. The final score line would read 3-1.
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