AZ II vs Emmen Prediction

After 13 wins, 6 draws and 13 defeats, the visiting team is in 11th place, having won 45 points. In the last match, they lost to FC Groningen at home by (0‑3), after having won at home in the previous match, in a game against Jong Ajax, by (4‑2). This is a team affected by the home advantage, stronger when it plays with the support of its fans, since in the last 30 games it has recorded 4 wins, 3 draws and 8 losses as a visitor, with a total of 18 goals scored and 29 conceded. At home, they won 8 wins, 1 draw and 6 defeats, with a total of 23 goals scored and 19 conceded. Their last away game for this competition ended in a victory by (2‑3) against Jong Utrecht. In the last 10 away games in the championship, Emmen has recorded 2 wins, 1 draw and 7 defeats, having won 7 points out of 30 possible. Defensive solidity has not been their strong point, as they have conceded goals in 8 of the last 10 games for this competition. In 32 games in this competition, they conceded the first goal 17 times and only managed to turn the score around in 4. There are 1 periods that stand out in the last 16 away matches for this competition: they have conceded 11 of their 29 goals between minutes (76'‑90').

Emmen is trying to recover from the defeat suffered in the last round and has the great opportunity to enter the qualifying zone for the playoffs in case of victory. A victory will take the club to 8th place, even passing Jong AZ himself. To do this, the team will need to demonstrate the traditional defensive application that makes it the third biggest tackler in this Eerste Divisie 2023/2024 with an average of 16.8 tackles made per match. Coach Fred Grim has problems defining his starting line-up, based on the 4-2-3-1 formation: right-back Robin Schouten was injured in the first minutes of the last game. If he is vetoed by the club's Medical Department, he will have to be replaced by Patrick Brouwer and will become part of the absence list along with striker Chardi Landu, injured since 16-02-2024. On the other hand, defender Dennis Vos is once again available after serving a suspension for accumulating 5 yellow cards during the season. Attacking midfielder Desley Ubbink is Emmen's biggest highlight in the competition, as he is the player in the squad who has directly participated in most goals, with 5 goals scored and 7 assists distributed in 28 performances, and he could appear again among the holders.

Confirmed lineup: Eric Oelschlägel, Julius Dirksen, Michael Heylen, Jeff Hardeveld, Mike te Wierik, Desley Ubbink, Maikel Kieftenbeld, Patrick Brouwer, Jorrit Smeets, Joey Konings, Bradly van Hoeven.