PSV vs AZ Alkmaar Predictions

• The last five Super Cups have seen 24 goals scored
• PSV have lifted this trophy in four of the last five seasons
• Over 3.5 goals landed in three of AZ’s four warm-up fixtures

Super Cup to serve up more entertainment

The highlight of the football weekend in the Netherlands sees PSV and AZ Alkmaar battle it out for the Johan Cruyff Shield in the Dutch Super Cup, and it could be an entertaining affair.

PSV must now consider the match, contested by the winners of the Eredivisie and the KNVB Cup, to be a permanent fixture on their pre-season schedule as they have appeared in seven consecutive Super Cups.

They have triumphed in four of the last five years, beating Ajax in 2021 and 2022, Feyenoord in 2023 and Go Ahead Eagles last year.

The match has been played at the home of the Eredivisie champions since 2017, so it’s no surprise to see PSV installed as short-priced favourites to win at around 4-11, as they won 13 of their 17 matches at the Philips Stadion in Eindhoven last season.

PSV finished 19 points clear in the standings but this trophy saw their only other success last season as they went out of the Champions League at the league phase and were knocked out in the semi-finals of the cup by NEC Nijmegen, losing 3-2 after holding a 2-1 lead in the first half.

AZ made no mistake in that competition, beating NEC 5-1 in the final at De Kuip in Rotterdam for their first cup success since 2013.

It capped off a rapid improvement for the team after the mid-season firing of their former coach Maarten Martens, and interim manager Lee-Roy Echteld has landed the post on a permanent basis after stepping up from the AZ youth team.

PSV are unbeaten in the last seven meetings between the teams, winning six of them, including both last season’s league clashes by scores of 5-1 and 2-1.

Both teams have been among the goals in their recent friendly outings and the most attractive bet on the game is over 3.5 goals, which landed and then some in PSV’s sole Super Cup defeat over the past five years, a penalty-shootout loss after a 4-4 draw with Feyenoord in 2024.

AZ have warmed up with a 3-3 draw against Gent, a 4-0 win over Genk and a 3-2 victory over Olympiakos on Saturday, so they look capable of contributing to the total.

PSV have not had the smoothest preparation to the campaign. A 1-1 draw against Royal Antwerp, 2-2 stalemate with Polish side Rakow, 7-3 win over Union Saint-Gilloise and a 3-1 defeat to Villarreal represent a mixed bag of results but do hold one common theme, plenty of goals.

That theme is likely to continue in Sunday’s Super Cup showdown, so get on the over.