AZ Alkmaar vs FC Groningen

Is it the legacy of John van den Brom or does Arne Slot simply have excellent qualities to make AZ play just as nicely as last season? Because you can say what you want, but AZ is becoming the flavor of the premier league. Although Guus Til said goodbye, there are still plenty of fun young players to enjoy with Koopmeiners, Boadu, Stengs and Idrissi. The latter was twice accurate for his club against RKC last Sunday before the break. That turned out to be enough.

FC Groningen lost somewhat painfully against FC Twente. Because FC Twente may still be a big name, it is the PhD student of this season. That story is known. FC Groningen started the competition dramatically last season, but recovered very well.

It is for the club and trainer Danny Buijs to hope that the bad start this year will only last briefly, otherwise FC Groningen will run into problems again. And it is already a bit under fire within circles around its own fans. If only that goes well up there in the far north.

AZ seems to us the favorite for this competition. At the time of writing, the question is still where the game can be played. The roof of the AFAS Stadium collapsed on Saturday evening. Thank goodness that didn’t cause any injuries. For damage and hassle.

But good: AZ is better elsewhere too. So we go for a victory from the Alkmaarders.

Our Prediction: 1

Odds: 1.35