AZ Alkmaar host SC Telstar at the AFAS Stadion on 20 September 2026 for Eredivisie Round 7 and the gap between these two clubs is about as wide as the Eredivisie produces. AZ sit second with 16 points from six matches and a +11 goal difference, unbeaten through five wins and a draw. Telstar, promoted in 2024/25 and barely surviving their first season back in the top flight, are 13th on five points from six matches, under new management and close enough to the bottom three that none of this is abstract.
Neither manager has faced the other before. Lee-Roy Echteld took charge of AZ on 18 January 2026, replacing Maarten Martens, while Henk Brugge began his Telstar tenure on 1 July 2026 after Anthony Correia's exit.
AZ arrive having dropped just two points in their last five league matches, a W-W-W-W-D run with the lone draw coming against Willem II on 11 September 2026 after a 3-2 win over Heerenveen the week before. Telstar's corresponding sequence is D-L-D-L-L and they have not won in four, with five points from six a return that will not keep them up if it continues.
AZ are without Denso Kasius and Stije Resink through injury. Kasius covers defensive and wide positions, so losing him narrows the options on the flank, while Resink's exit removes energy and depth from the midfield and places more on Jordy Clasie than Echteld would like. The likely adjustment pushes Mexx Meerdink and Ro-Zangelo Daal into more prominent attacking roles within the 4 2 3 1 shape. Telstar carry no notable absences, though a clean bill of health has not translated into results, R. Mendes, P. Brouwer and N. Thorisson are their forward options but without the ball in good positions they will find little to work with.
AZ's approach is built on high pressing and midfield control, with Clasie as the leader in possession and Peer Koopmeiners dictating tempo from deeper. Losing Resink hurts the pressing phases, since that rotation of midfield legs matters when AZ push the intensity and without Kasius width becomes harder to generate, meaning Meerdink will likely need to create overloads through central combinations rather than running in behind on the right flank. Telstar are expected to sit in a 3 4 2 1 block, absorb pressure and look to spring counters, with Mendes their most direct outlet, though that route requires winning the ball in good positions, leaving the question of whether Telstar can hold their shape for 90 minutes without the ball.
AZ have won all three previous meetings, often by multiple goals and while Brugge may have introduced greater defensive discipline since arriving in the summer, three wins by comfortable margins is the only head to head precedent on the table.
AZ could do their most reliable damage from set pieces, where Telstar's aerial vulnerability runs up against the delivery quality of Clasie and Koopmeiners. AZ have yet to concede the initiative in any of their opening fixtures and Brugge's side will need to cope with that from the first whistle.
AZ to win 2-0. Their midfield control through Clasie and Koopmeiners should generate the possession to build sustained pressure and Meerdink and Daal, pushed into more prominent roles, will have chances to cause damage through the central channels. The absences of Kasius and Resink are meaningful but not meaningful enough to change the outcome against a side four matches without a win.
Ryan Baldi
Football Writer
Ryan Baldi is a professional football writer with years of experience and has been featured by respected outlets such as the BBC, The Guardian, Sky Sports, DAZN, FourFourTwo, ESPN, Yahoo Sport and Football365. He has also written several books including Arsène Who?.
