Az Alkmaar vs Willem Ii

AZ Alkmaar vs Willem II Preview

It doesn’t get much more one-sided on paper than this. AZ Alkmaar sit top of the Eredivisie table with a perfect five from five, while Willem II are propping up the division in 17th, kept off the bottom only by goal difference. Friday night at the AFAS Stadion has the feel of a fixture that writes itself, but football has a habit of making fools of anyone who gets too comfortable with a foregone conclusion, so let’s dig into the details before we start counting the goals.

AZ have been absolutely flying since the summer. They opened the campaign by hammering PSV Eindhoven 4-0 in the Dutch Super Cup, and they have not dropped a point in the league since. Most recently they edged Heerenveen 3-2, which tells you something about their attacking quality even when games get a bit scrappy. Losing Troy Parrott to Real Betis over the summer raised eyebrows about whether gaffer Leeroy Echteld could keep the goals flowing, but the 57-year-old has found answers throughout the squad, and this remains one of the most dangerous attacks in the division. With a Europa League opener against Sunderland waiting on the horizon next week, winning this one comfortably and keeping confidence high is exactly what AZ need.

Willem II, by contrast, are just trying to find their footing. Their return to the Eredivisie after a nervy promotion playoff win over FC Volendam on penalties has been a baptism of fire. They did manage their first point of the season in a 2-2 draw with Heerenveen, but a 3-0 defeat to Excelsior last time out knocked that momentum clean out of them. They are only a point off safety at this stage, so it is not a crisis yet, but back-to-back away trips to AZ and Ajax offer precious little opportunity for that to change any time soon.

AZ Alkmaar vs Willem II Form

AZ’s form right now is as good as you will find anywhere in the Eredivisie. Five wins from five in the league, a Super Cup triumph, and an 18-match unbeaten run overall. Echteld has built a side that scores goals consistently across the starting eleven rather than relying on one focal point, which makes them hard to plan against. Ro-Zangelo Daal’s winner against Heerenveen was his fourth of the season, which sees him joint-top of the scoring charts alongside Gjivai Zechiel and Soren Tengstedt. Three players on four goals each by matchday six tells you how well the goals are being shared around. AZ have also broken the deadlock in each of their last six matches, which is a pattern worth noting when thinking about how this game starts.

Willem II’s form, by contrast, makes for difficult reading. They have collected one point from five games, scored the fewest goals in the division, and conceded over three per game on average. The arrival of Chidozie Obi-Martin on loan from Manchester United adds a bit of intrigue up front, but one new face is not going to fix the structural problems John Stegeman’s side are clearly dealing with. Their first clean sheet of the season is still outstanding, and they are heading to one of the most in-form teams in the country. The numbers really do not lie here.

What is worth flagging, though, is that AZ have lost three of their last five home league meetings with Willem II. That is a stat that comes out of nowhere given the gulf between these sides right now, and it stops you from just assuming this will be a routine stroll. Fixtures can carry strange momentum regardless of where teams are sitting in the table. That said, current form is current form, and on the basis of what both sides have shown in 2026-27 so far, the weight of evidence points firmly in one direction.

AZ Alkmaar vs Willem II Head to Head

The recent head-to-head record between these two is more interesting than you might expect given the disparity in quality right now. AZ have lost three of their last five home encounters with Willem II, which should at least give Stegeman’s players some belief that they can frustrate the hosts on occasion. History doesn’t always repeat itself, but it’s a detail worth sticking a pin in rather than dismissing entirely.

That said, form and context matter as much as historical records, and the circumstances heading into this game are very different to previous meetings. AZ are in the kind of form where it would genuinely surprise if they couldn’t break down a Willem II backline that has been shipping goals for fun. The visitors may have nicked a result or two at the AFAS Stadion before, but this current version of Willem II looks short of the tools to replicate those performances.

AZ Alkmaar vs Willem II Lineups

AZ are without a couple of options in defence. Denso Kasius picked up a groin injury during pre-season and remains unavailable, while Stije Resink is dealing with a knee problem that is not expected to see him return until January. Neither absence looks likely to derail a side with as much depth and confidence as AZ currently have, and Echteld has enough bodies to cover without disrupting the team’s rhythm. The expected lineup looks settled, with Daal leading the line and the likes of Kwakman and Patati providing the creativity through the middle and wide areas.

Willem II are short of even more firepower. Thomas Didillon, the first-choice goalkeeper, has missed the last three games with a hamstring injury and will not feature here. Long-term absentees Jari Schuurman, Anass Zarrouk, and Amine Lackhar all remain sidelined. Swedish midfielder Armin Culum, who is still recovering from a foot injury, will also miss out. The absentees matter because Willem II were already thin on quality going into this game, and losing experienced options across the pitch makes it harder still for Stegeman to ask anything meaningful of his players on the road against top-half opposition.

AZ Alkmaar vs Willem II Tactics

AZ under Echteld press high and transition quickly. They want to win the ball back in advanced areas and have enough technical quality in midfield through players like Clasie and Koopmeiners to hurt teams in the final third once they get going. The fact that they have scored first in each of their last six games suggests the game plan is working: get on the front foot early, stamp authority on proceedings, and manage from there. Against a Willem II side struggling for confidence and defensive solidity, expect AZ to come out of the blocks quickly and look to settle this one before half-time.

Stegeman will likely set his side up to be compact and try to limit space in behind, aware that they cannot afford to just open up and trade blows with an attack this sharp. The problem is that Willem II have struggled to keep shape in games this season, and when they do concede that first goal the heads tend to drop. AZ have the pace and movement to find gaps even against a deep block, and with three players already on four goals each this season, the threat is not coming from one predictable source. That versatility makes it very hard for the visitors to plan around.

AZ Alkmaar vs Willem II Prediction and Betting Tips

AZ Alkmaar are in the kind of form that makes backing against them feel like picking a fight you cannot win. Willem II are conceding more than three goals a game, AZ are averaging a similar number in attack, and the visitors are missing their first-choice goalkeeper along with several other key players. The home side have won all five league games, they score first consistently, and they are playing with real confidence heading into an important week domestically and in Europe. Everything points to a comfortable home win with multiple goals.

The tip here is AZ Alkmaar on the -2 handicap. Backing them on the handicap reflects the gulf in class and current form, and a 3-0 scoreline is exactly the kind of outcome the underlying numbers are pointing toward. The historical home record against Willem II adds a tiny note of caution, which is why this does not go in as maximum confidence, but the overall picture is about as clear as it gets in a fixture like this.