🏏 Sun, 6 Sep 2026 14:30 CEST
SC Heerenveen
vs
AZ Alkmaar
4-2-3-1 vs 4-2-3-1
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- AZ Alkmaar have won all four of their opening matches, scoring 13 and conceding three for a goal difference of +10 and 12 points from a possible 12, which leaves them second. PSV Eindhoven lead on 13 points but have played five, so a win here would take AZ to 15 and top of the Eredivisie. There is a genuine prize on offer in Friesland.
- Heerenveen arrive 12th on five points from four games, having won once, drawn twice and lost once. They beat Twente 1-0 on the opening day and held Ajax to a 2-2 draw away, but they also lost 0-2 at home to PEC Zwolle and drew 2-2 at Willem II last time out. Five goals scored and six conceded captures a side that alternates between resilience and slackness.
- AZ's perfect record has substance behind it. They beat ADO Den Haag 2-0 at home, won 4-1 at Utrecht, took a 2-0 victory at Fortuna Sittard and then swept aside GO Ahead Eagles 5-2 in front of their own supporters. Thirteen goals in four matches is the single biggest problem facing a Heerenveen back line that has already shipped six.
- There is a familiar face on the AZ bench. Ise Hoornkamp, the 28-year-old striker, played for Heerenveen after coming through FC Den Bosch and Willem II, then finally broke out at Heracles Almelo with 10 goals in 14 Eredivisie appearances in the first half of 2025-26, earning a roughly €4.5m move to AZ. A poacher's instincts inside the box return to a former home.
- AZ carry two Japanese internationals in their squad. Seiya Maikuma, the 28-year-old right-back, was converted from forward at V-Varen Nagasaki before flourishing at Cerezo Osaka, where he was named in the 2023 J1 Best XI. Now a regular for Japan, he has already made his mark in Europe, keeping Tottenham's Son Heung-min quiet in the Europa League with his relentless running and accurate crossing.
- The other, 21-year-old centre-back Rion Ichihara, starts on the bench. The 185cm defender was described as the finest product of RB Omiya Ardija's academy and combines aerial strength with genuine build-up quality, hitting vertical passes into midfield and switching play wide. He was selected in the 2025 J2 Best XI before making the move to the Netherlands.
- Both sides line up 4-2-3-1, and the gap in midfield experience is stark. AZ pair 35-year-old Jordy Clasie, all 169cm of him, who made 129 appearances for Feyenoord, played Premier League football at Southampton and has 11 Netherlands caps, with 26-year-old Peer Koopmeiners, younger brother of Juventus midfielder Teun. Heerenveen counter with the 168cm Dave Propper, 24, an NEC academy graduate, and Nolan Coortens, a 19-year-old Belgian signed from Royal Antwerp.
- AZ's threat comes from wide areas. Rosanhero Daal, the 21-year-old Amsterdammer wearing No. 11, opened the scoring against Fenerbahce in the Europa League and attacks from the right. Wesley Patati, the 22-year-old left-footed Brazilian who came through Santos and spent a loan spell at Maccabi Tel Aviv, is an inverted winger who cuts in for his shot. Heerenveen full-backs Vasilios Zagaritis, the 25-year-old Greece international, and 22-year-old Norwegian Oliver Blaude have real work to do.
- The goalkeeping picture is unusual. Heerenveen start Bernt Klaverboer, a 20-year-old academy product and Netherlands Under-21 international who has held the No. 1 shirt since September 2025, while behind him sits Andries Noppert, 32, the 203cm keeper who was the tallest player at the 2022 World Cup and started for the Netherlands there. AZ trust Jari De Busser, the 26-year-old Belgian who saved two penalties in a KNVB Cup final shootout.
- AZ's depth shows on the bench as well. Calvin Stengs, the 27-year-old Netherlands international, is back at the club that raised him after spells at Nice, Antwerp and Feyenoord. Alongside him are Ayoub Oufkir, the 20-year-old speedster bought from Sparta Rotterdam for around €5m, and Andrea Natali, the 22-year-old Italian centre-back on loan from Bayer Leverkusen who won the 2024 Under-17 European Championship.