AZ vs Willem II – News and Probable Lineups

AZ Alkmaar aims to continue their flawless start to the 2026-27 Eredivisie season as they host Willem II at the AFAS Stadion on Wednesday for the sixth round of fixtures.

Currently, AZ sits at the top of the standings following an impressive run, while Willem II finds themselves in 17th place, just above the relegation zone based on goal difference.

Match overview

AZ made a strong statement by defeating PSV Eindhoven 4-0 in the Dutch Super Cup and have maintained their momentum, winning all five of their league matches so far, with their latest victory being a 3-2 win against Heerenveen at the Abe Lenstra Stadion.

After losing last season’s top scorer Troy Parrott to Real Betis over the summer, head coach Leeroy Echteld faced a significant challenge in keeping his team competitive. However, the experienced manager has led his squad to the summit of the table while orchestrating the league’s second-highest scoring attack, only behind PSV.

A fixture against struggling newly-promoted opponents presents De Kaasboeren with an excellent opportunity to extend their current winning streak to eight matches and maintain an unbeaten run that stretches to 18 games. Nevertheless, AZ has faced challenges against Willem II at home historically, losing three of their last five encounters, so they must proceed with caution.

With an eye on their upcoming Europa League match against Sunderland next week, the hosts will look to keep their domestic winning streak intact before turning their focus to European competition.

AZ has established dominance in their previous six matches and will seek to replicate this quick-start approach to secure all three points.

Willem II’s journey back to the Eredivisie has been fraught with difficulty, particularly after they needed penalties to triumph over FC Volendam in the promotion playoff final.

John Stegeman’s squad recently secured their first point of the season in a 2-2 draw against Heerenveen, but any optimism was quickly dampened following a 3-0 loss to SBV Excelsior in their last match.

While De Superkruiken’s previous outing marked their first scoreless result of the season, they currently sit at the bottom of the table in terms of goals scored, a situation they hope new signing Chido Obi-Martin can remedy following his loan from Manchester United.

Despite their rocky start, Willem II is tied on points with fellow newcomers Cambuur and ADO Den Haag, who are also within the relegation zone, and are only a solitary point away from safety, meaning they are not in immediate danger of falling far behind in the fight against relegation.

Nonetheless, the away side needs to start securing points soon, although upcoming matches against AZ and Ajax over the next two rounds do not offer much hope for an instant recovery.

Team News

Denso Kasius is still recovering from a groin injury sustained during pre-season, having faced a challenging 2025-26 season with injuries, leaving him unavailable for AZ Alkmaar.

Stije Resink is also ruled out for the hosts due to a knee injury picked up while on loan at Groningen, with a return not expected until January 2027.

Ro-Zangelo Daal’s decisive goal against Heerenveen was his fourth in the league this season, placing him joint-top on the scoring charts alongside Gjivai Zechiel and Soren Tengstedt.

Willem II will be without long-term absentees Jari Schuurman, Anass Zarrouk, and Amine Lackhar for the trip to Alkmaar.

First-choice goalkeeper Thomas Didillon is sidelined due to a hamstring injury and will miss Friday’s fixture, having missed the last three matches.

Swedish midfielder Armin Culum is still on the mend from a foot injury and will have to postpone his Eredivisie debut for a little while longer.

AZ Alkmaar probable starting XI:

De Busser; Dijkstra, Goes, Schouten, Chavez; Clasie, Koopmeiners; Patati, Kwakman, Daal; Meerdink

Willem II probable starting XI:

Delanghe; Tjoe-A-On, Lemmens, Stam, Ter Avest; Twigt, Boogaard; Slory, Van Aalst, Gurbuz; Haen

Willem II has been conceding over three goals per match this season, while AZ is scoring a similar number as well.

The expectation is that Friday’s showdown will likely see a home victory, with AZ anticipated to secure a comfortable win.