AZ Alkmaar vs Telstar - prediction, team news, lineups

By Adepoju Marvellous | 18 Sep 2026 14:06, Last updated: 18 Sep 2026 14:10

Having recently surrendered top spot in the Eredivisie table, AZ Alkmaar will look to return to winning ways when they host Telstar at the AFAS Stadion on Sunday.

The hosts are one of three sides yet to be beaten after six matchdays, a stark contrast to their visitors, who have managed just one win so far.

After opening the season with six straight wins in all competitions, AZ have hit their first bump in the road, being held to a goalless draw by Willem II on September 11 before a 1-0 defeat to Sunderland in their Europa League opener five days later.

Leeroy Echteld’s men are currently behind defending champions PSV Eindhoven on goal difference at the summit of the standings but could end Sunday’s game back on top with PSV in action against FC Twente simultaneously.

De Kaasboeren beat Telstar home and away, as well as in the KNVB Beker semi-finals last season, making it five wins from five competitive meetings since 2015, with their only defeat in that period coming in a friendly seven years ago.

Unsurprisingly, AZ are strong favourites to get back to winning ways this weekend, having not suffered consecutive defeats since a three-game losing run in November 2025 towards the end of Maarten Martens's tenure.

Prior to their recent loss, the Cheese Farmers had opened the scoring in seven consecutive matches, and will aim for a repeat against a Telstar side who have conceded first in four of their last five games and in six of the last seven meetings between the teams.

Telstar’s win over NEC Nijmegen on matchday one, which marked their third straight victory dating back to last season, proved to be something of a false dawn, as they have collected just two points from the following five fixtures.

A goalless draw with Heerenveen last time out offered more positives than negatives for Henk Brugge’s side, who failed to create a clear-cut chance but will be pleased to have secured a valuable point, leaving them just outside the relegation zone.

Only Heerenveen have conceded fewer goals than De Witte Leeuwen’s 11 among teams outside the top six, highlighting their defensive resilience, thanks in no small part to the heroics of Ronald Koeman Jr in goal.

However, Telstar’s attacking output remains a concern, with a league-low five goals scored so far and three blanks in their last four matches. Their only goals in that run came in a 2-2 draw with Cambuur, both via penalties.

Sunday’s visitors have not gone six matches without a win since the turn of the year, but they will need to rise to the occasion to avoid matching that statistic by the end of their trip to Alkmaar.

Denso Kasius (groin) and Stije Resink (knee) have yet to feature for AZ Alkmaar this season, and both are sidelined for Sunday’s game.

However, Kees Smit is back in contention for the hosts after returning from a two-game injury absence in Wednesday’s defeat to Sunderland.

Entrusted with a more prominent role since Troy Parrott’s departure, Mexx Meerdink has four direct goal contributions in six league matches so far, making him one to keep an eye on.

Sem Valk has started all four matches for Telstar since joining from Dordrecht in the summer and is expected to retain his place this weekend.

Abedelnour Soualhia is unlikely to feature, having joined the visitors on loan from AZ, which could open the door for Prince Aning to come into the side.

De Busser; Dijkstra, Goes, Schouten, Chavez; Clasie, Koopmeiners; Stengs, Kwakman, Daal; Meerdink

Koeman Jr; Aning, Peersman, Valk; Hardeveld, Rossen, Owusu, Alders; Brouwer, Mendes; Thorisson

Telstar’s attacking struggles, up against a side averaging nearly three league goals per game, make it difficult to see Sunday’s match ending in anything other than a home win.

We are backing AZ Alkmaar to record a comfortable victory when all is said and done.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

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