PSV Eindhoven take on AZ Alkmaar at the Phillips Stadion on Saturday evening, in what is the opening weekend of the Eredivisie season in Holland. For those looking to place a bet on this match, there are a number of markets to look into.
PSV Team News
Having finished third behind rivals Ajax and Feyenoord in the standings last season, PSV will be looking to make a winning start to the season against AZ Alkaar on Saturday. Led by former player Phillip Cocu, PSV has spent significantly in the transfer market over the summer in a bid to compete with those above them last time around, with Hirving Lozano and Derrick Luckassen potentially making their competitive debuts for the club this weekend.
Defender Luckassen signed from Alkmaar in recent weeks, with the Dutch under-21 international likely to come up against his former team mates at the Phillips Stadion. Despite this, PSV have lost a whole host of their key performers from last season, including Davy Propper, Hector Moreno and Jetro Willems. As a result, it may well take time for their new playing squad to gel, offering home for AZ to cause a shock on the opening weekend of the season.
AZ Alkmaar Team News
AZ finished sixth in the table last season, qualifying for the Europa League play-offs in the process. Manager John Van Den Brom has been at the club since 2014, with the Dutchman hoping to bring AZ back to somewhere near the level they reached back in 2008/09, when they won the Eredivisie title under former England manager, Steve McClaren. However, having lost two of their key defenders over the summer, including Luckassen to Saturday’s opponents, it remains to be seen as to just how competitive AZ will be in the upcoming ten months.
Head to Head
The two teams have met on 32 occasions since 2003, with PSV having enjoyed a far more successful set of results over this time. PSV have won 20 of these matches, as well as registering seven draws, meaning that AZ have won on just seven occasions. Last season saw PSV gain the full six point from their encounters with AZ, including a 1-0 victory in front of their home support, along with a 4-2 win away from home. In fact, the last time AZ defeated PSV in the Dutch top-flight was back in 2013, when they registered a 2-1 victory.
Betting Odds and Predictions
Given their dominance over AZ in recent years, backing PSV to win and three or more goals to be scored is certainly worth taking advantage of, with best odds of 3/4 found at William Hill. Elsewhere, fort those backing AZ to take something from the game, backing either a draw or win for the away side can be done so at 9/5, which is potentially hugely lucrative. Finally, a whole host of goals are often scored on the opening weekend of the new football season, making betting on a shot finding the back of the net in the opening five minutes of this match a great option, with William Hill providing odds of 5/1 on this market.
Top Betting Tip
Despite all of these markets looking attractive, our top betting tip is to simply back PSV to register a win over AZ on Saturday, which can be found at best odds of 4/11 at Ladbrokes.