🏏 Sun, 10 May 2026 16:45 CEST
Feyenoord
vs
AZ Alkmaar
4-2-3-1 vs 4-2-3-1
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- A meeting of 2nd-placed Feyenoord (61 points) and 8th-placed AZ Alkmaar (46 points), 15 points apart. Trailing league leaders PSV Eindhoven (78 points) by 17 points, Feyenoord aim to hold on to 2nd and secure a Champions League place. They are five points clear of 3rd-placed NEC Nijmegen (56 points), with the battle for 2nd continuing late in the season.
- A Japan international duo start. For Feyenoord, Ayase Ueda (No. 9) leads the line as a lone striker, while Go Watanabe (No. 4) marshals the defence at centre-back. Ueda scored 22 goals to finish second in the scoring charts at Cercle Brugge in Belgium and joined Feyenoord for a club-record fee. Watanabe is a defensive leader with 100 appearances for Gent in Belgium.
- A rematch of the 3-3 thriller in their away fixture in Matchday 6. In that game, AZ led at home but were pegged back. Feyenoord look for revenge at home this time. Feyenoord are unbeaten over their last five with two wins and three draws, but the high number of draws points to a lack of cutting edge.
- A clash of differing formations with Feyenoord in 4-2-3-1 and AZ Alkmaar in 3-4-3. Feyenoord field Ayase Ueda up top with three attacking midfielders for added thickness. AZ, by contrast, are expected to prioritise defensive solidity with a back three and look to counter-attack.
- There is a big difference in the two teams' scoring. Feyenoord have a potent attack with 67 goals in 32 games (2.09 per game), while AZ Alkmaar have 49 goals in 30 games (1.63 per game). Feyenoord's attacking power at De Kuip is a weapon, and how Ayase Ueda's goalscoring instinct and runs in behind break down AZ's back three is one to watch.
- AZ Alkmaar have played two games fewer but sit 8th, just a point behind 7th-placed Utrecht (47 points). In the midst of the fight for a European place, they need points despite being away. They lack consistency over their last five with two wins, one draw and two defeats, and after a 0-0 draw against Go Ahead Eagles in the previous round, improvement in attack is required.