Preview: PEC Zwolle vs. AZ Alkmaar - prediction, team news, lineups

The hosts come into this clash after a stalemate with local rivals Go Ahead Eagles last time out, while Alkmaar are hoping to bounce back following an embarrassing result in Europe on Thursday.

Match preview

PEC Zwolle are currently three game unbeaten in the Eredivisie after playing out a 1-1 draw with arch rivals Go Ahead Eagles last Sunday, but things could have been so much better for the hosts in the season's first IJsselderby.

Following a dominant first half from Zwolle in terms of ball possession, they took the lead after 52 minutes courtesy of an Eliano Reijnders strike, but Johnny Jansen's men were unable to hold on for maximum points against the 10-man Eagles, with Oliver Edvardsen restoring parity late on for the visitors.

Jansen's charges are back at the top table of Dutch football after finishing second in the Eerste Divisie in 2022-23, losing out on the second-tier crown to Heracles due to their inferior goal difference, with both clubs ending up on 85 points after 38 league matches.

Zwolle called the Eredivisie their home for a decade between 2012 and 2022, with the aim for the current crop of players to reinstate the club as a regular at this level following a single-year absence.

The Blauwvingers are hoping that Dutch striker Ferdy Druijf can fire in the goals to preserve their top-tier status this season, with the 25-year-old already providing three goal contributions in the Eredivisie since making the switch from Austrian outfit Rapid Wien on loan in the summer transfer window.

Despite a flawless start to their domestic campaign, AZ Alkmaar have grabbed the headlines for all the wrong reasons this week following a humiliating 4-3 loss to Zrinjski Mostar in their opening match of the Europa Conference League group stage.

AZ made the taxing trip to Eastern Europe on Thursday night and put themselves into a three-goal lead at the interval courtesy of strikes from Myron van Brederode, Sven Mijnans and Dani de Wit, but an extraordinary collapse in the second period handed the Bosnian outfit their first-ever win in the group stage of a European competition.

Pascal Jansen will be happy his men have the chance to go again so quickly after such a horrific defeat on the continent, with matches against two newly-promoted sides to come over the next week, as Alkmaar aim to maintain their 100% record domestically.

Last weekend's clash with Sparta Rotterdam at AFAS Stadion saw AZ ease to a 2-0 victory in front of their home faithful, allowing the club to join PSV Eindhoven and FC Twente on maximum points from their opening quartet of fixtures.

Jansen's charges actually fared better on their travels in the 2022-23 campaign, in which 11 of their 20 top-flight wins came away from their Alkmaar base - a better home record will be needed if they are serious about challenging the likes of Feyenoord and PSV for the Dutch crown this time around.

PEC Zwolle Eredivisie form:

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L

W

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D

AZ Alkmaar Eredivisie form:

AZ Alkmaar form (all competitions):

W

D

W

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W

L

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Team News

PEC Zwolle have suffered an injury setback over the past few weeks, with New Zealand midfielder Ryan Thomas still yet to return to first-team training following a knock, as the 28-year-old now struggles to fight off a respiratory infection.

Left-back Lennart Czyborra has not featured since the 1-0 success over FC Utrecht at the end of August because of a knee injury, meaning Spaniard Anselmo Garcia McNulty is set to operate on the left side of the hosts' defence once again this weekend.

Veteran defender Bram van Polen is fit to start again after shaking off a knock sustained against Almere City to take part in the derby last time out, although goalkeeper Kenneth Vermeer is not ready to make his debut for the club yet due to injury.

AZ Alkmaar have a very busy medical room ahead of Sunday's trip to Zwolle, with youngsters such as Ernest Poku and Mexx Meerdink sidelined due to their respective knocks.

Jansen is expected to make changes to the side who were humiliated in the Conference League on Thursday night, meaning Danish winger Jens Odgaard could be handed his third Eredivisie start of the season.

PEC Zwolle possible starting lineup:

Schendelaar; Van Polen, Kersten, Lam, McNulty; Namli, Burrmeester, Van den Berg, Reijnders; Thy, Druijf

AZ Alkmaar possible starting lineup:

Ryan; Sugawara, Bazoer, Penetra, Wolfe; Clasie, Mijnans, Lahdo, De Wit, Van Brederode; Pavlidis

We say: PEC Zwolle 1-2 AZ Alkmaar

PEC Zwolle have started to adapt to life back in the Eredivisie after successive defeats at the beginning of the term, and the hosts will be confident of taking advantage of a possibly out-of-sorts AZ side.

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