‘We want to be the boss at home’

NOS Football•yesterday, 10:45 PM

With AZ – Ajax, the eighth finals of the KNVB Cup start on Tuesday with a top match. A month ago, the confrontation in Alkmaar in the Premier League ended in a 2-1 victory for the home team. Troy Parrott and Mayckel Lahdo scored for AZ, Mika Godts for Ajax.

Last weekend, AZ drew 2-2 with leader PSV, with the Alkmaarders mainly leaving the ball to the Eindhoven team. “We want to be the boss at home, and the pressure to continue in the cup is there for both parties,” coach Maarten Martens told the AZ club channel. “That makes it super interesting.”

“They can play in different ways,” Ajax coach Francesco Farioli said on the Amsterdam team’s website. “Against PSV, for example, they didn’t have the ball as much, but they can also defend a little lower. They also have the pace and strength up front to attack the open spaces. It is a team that can put pressure on any opponent.”

Watch the goals below in the Premier League match between AZ and Ajax in December:

Ajax struggled to beat last-place RKC Waalwijk (2-1) on Saturday. Farioli’s team did not emerge unscathed from the first Eredivisie round of 2025. “Owen Wijndal and Davy Klaassen left the field due to knee bruises,” said Farioli. “Everyone else is fit and can play.”

Croatian defender Josip Sutalo has recovered from flu and returns to the selection.

At AZ, Ruben van Bommel was a substitute against PSV, because the wing attacker returned from groin complaints. “He played for half an hour and endured it well. We have gone one step further,” Maarten Martens said on the AZ site.

Van Bommel must be ready for a starting place against Ajax. Van Bommel’s replacement Lahdo scored a nice goal against PSV, but had to be replaced in Eindhoven due to ankle complaints.

The question is whether Martens chooses Van Bommel or Lahdo as left winger. There is also the question of whether Mexx Meerdink is ready for a starting place after five goals as a substitute or whether the Irishman Troy Parrott (ten goals) retains confidence in the central front.