AZ Alkmaar host Willem II on 11 September 2026 in an Eredivisie fixture with little ambiguity about who enters in better shape. AZ sit top with 15 points from five games and a goal difference of +11, having also lifted the KNVB Cup under Lee-Roy Echteld last season, whereas Willem II, promoted to the top flight, are 16th with a single point from four matches and a goal difference of -9.
This is a first competitive meeting between Echteld and John Stegeman in the dugout. Echteld took permanent charge at AZ on 8 May 2026 after an interim spell dating back to January, while Stegeman has been at Willem II since 30 June 2025, leaving neither man a record against the other to draw on.
AZ have not dropped a point in five games, scoring 16 times and keeping three clean sheets. Their most recent outing was a 3-2 win over SC Heerenveen on 6 September, before which came a 5-2 thrashing of Go Ahead Eagles, 2-0 over Fortuna Sittard, 4-1 against FC Utrecht and 2-0 at ADO Den Haag on the opening weekend.
Willem II's form across their last four reads LLDL: a 0-3 loss to Excelsior on 5 September, a 2-2 draw with Heerenveen on 30 August, then 1-4 at NEC Nijmegen and 1-4 at Go Ahead Eagles before that, leaving them with a single point and nine goals conceded heading into a trip to the leaders.
AZ are without Kees Smit, Denso Kasius (groin) and Stije Resink (knee), removing some defensive and midfield cover. Willem II's situation is considerably more serious: captain Justin Hoogma is out for months with a knee injury, goalkeeper Thomas Didillon-Hödl is facing a lengthy absence through a hamstring problem and Amine Lachkar is unavailable with a groin injury, leaving Stegeman without his captain, first choice goalkeeper and a midfielder simultaneously.
AZ operate in a 4-2-3-1, with Ro-Zangelo Daal the standout contributor in attack this season and Peer Koopmeiners controlling tempo and driving play forward. Their set piece delivery and Meerdink at corners give them further routes to goal against a depleted Willem II backline and even with their own absentees AZ press high throughout. Willem II will likely mirror the 4-2-3-1 shape but with a very different objective, relying on Devin Haen and Nathan Tjoe-A-On as their primary outlets going forward, though without Hoogma organising the backline and Didillon-Hödl in goal their defensive task is a formidable one.
AZ win 3-0, with the absences of Hoogma and Didillon-Hödl making a clean sheet for the hosts the likeliest outcome alongside a comfortable winning margin.
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?.
