Heracles Almelo - AZ Alkmaar predictions and free betting tips [03/04/2024]

In the 28th round of the Eredivisie, there are loads of captivating fixtures. One of which can be accounted for as the battle in Almelo, between Heracles and AZ Alkmaar. The “cheese farmers” have the task to maintain their position, pushing them towards the Europa League, and they might give a nudge to overtake Twente, who stands at the 3rd spot claiming a position in the Champions League. The team of Erwin van de Looi doesn't occupy the most convenient spot in the lower part of the table, being merely 4 points away from Excelsior, who is in the 16th spot. If luck turns its back, the Overijssel-based team can easily roll down and swap places with the club from South Holland.

Heracles

Heracles hasn't been particularly successful in clashes with clubs aiming for European cups. Take, for instance, the match against Twente in the last round, where van de Looi's players managed only one shot on target and an Xg rate slightly above half.

There might be several questions directed towards the coach of Heracles, but if the club manages to stay afloat in the Eredivisie, the complaints will be called off. It's worth noting that Erwin van de Looi's team earns their points by outplaying some of the teams in the lower part of the table. A recent, well-earned win over Go Ahead Eagles, who are currently contending for a spot in Europa Conference League, stands out. However, the latter team had issues with the realization of goal-scoring opportunities, while Heracles found its goals and Hornkamp was once again up to the mark, providing a goal assist in that match.

Van de Looi occasionally changes the line-up according to his strategies. Against Twente, Sven Sonnenberg didn't play in the defence, and he was replaced by Kelvin Leerdam, whose performance was a tad below the German defender's standard statistics. Meantime, minor reshuffling in the midfield is a common occurrence. The team leaders are all set: Hornkamp in good form, Emil Hansson regularly missing games due to injuries and Jordy Breijn always starts, although the positions may change sometimes, which could confuse the Dutch midfielder.

Against AZ, a defensive failure cannot be afforded, therefore Erwin van de Looi must have thoroughly studied the opponent's attack to prevent them from unleashing their full potential.

AZ Alkmaar

Early criticism of Maarten Martins after the resignation of Pascal Jansen was premature, even though under the Belgian's reign AZ Alkmaar was knocked out of the quarter finals of the Netherlands Cup by Feyenoord. AZ's fans had big hopes that the club would compensate for its group-stage fiasco in the Europa Conference League by showing serious intent in the domestic cup.

After the cup defeat, AZ had several draws and 5 wins, one of which was absolutely key, against Ajax, who were trying to catch up with Martins' team in the second half of the season.

As far as the squad is concerned, AZ looks sound. Pavlidis is on form, however, puzzlingly, he didn't play a single minute in the international match against Georgia. The rest of the key players are performing well, hence Martins has no concerns about them, and hence he keeps the starting line-up unchanged year-round.

Against Heracles, a pragmatic approach is needed to secure success and to count on Twente faltering in their battle with Heerenveen. Therefore, Martins' men still have the motivation to trade the Europa League for a Champions League qualifier.

Head to Head

In the first round, AZ drew with Heracles (1:1), where Jansen's players were expected to win, but they couldn't get more than a goal in the match.

Match predictions: Heracles - AZ Alkmaar

I bet on AZ. A good and smart victory is needed for Martins' men to compete with Twente for the 3rd spot, which leads to the UEFA Champions League qualifiers.