JONG AZ VS JONG UTRECHT PREVIEW & PREDICTION
Young AZ has been in good shape in recent weeks and that resulted in some nice results. On Friday night, the North Hollanders hope to continue the chosen course in the match against the swaying Jong FC Utrecht.
Young AZ:
Young AZ seemed to be on the way to finishing in the bottom regions of the rankings, but in recent weeks the youngsters of coach Martin Haar have given an unexpected sign of life. The Alkmaarders dropped to the nineteenth place at a certain point, but the good results of the last time have ensured that the team can now be found in the fifteenth position and that the gap with the top ten is only two points. Jong AZ recently won against FC Emmen and Jong Ajax without incurring a goal and Almere City was also treated to a loss. Against Go Ahead Eagles was 0-0 and that was certainly not a bad result. With the form it seems so good to sit and this could therefore just in one place with the best ten can result.
Last week the game against Young Ajax was on the program. Both teams had to do without any youth internationals and that created a separate situation as the trainers had to improvise a lot to reach their best eleven. At Young AZ, Ron Vlaar was in the defense and he raised the level considerably and his presence helped ensure that the visitors were able to keep the zero. Tijani Reijnders was able to score in the 77th minute and his goal turned out to be sufficient for the full booty.
Vincent Regeling, who was allowed to enter the field last week after the break, is probably no longer in action this season. The youth suffers a serious knee injury and therefore he will not be part of the match selection on Friday night. Vlaar and Iliass Bel Hassani got the chance to rhythm last week, but this time they will probably not be admired in the Jupiler League as the first team also takes action.
Jong FC Utrecht:
Young FC Utrecht has hardly been able to achieve results this season and that is why it is not surprising that the men of trainer Robin Pronk have been dangling for a few months at the bottom of the rankings. Occasionally, the Domstars produce a positive outlier, but the defeats are often strung together. It is therefore no surprise that Jong FC Utrecht is currently in the last place and that the gap with the number nineteen RKC Waalwijk has become virtually unbridgeable. The gap with the Brabanders has risen to twelve points while there are only six games to play. The only ‘advantage’ that Jong FC Utrecht currently has is that no club will relegate to the Second Division this year and that FC Utrecht already knows that the second team will play on the second level again next season.
At the end of February Jong FC Utrecht won surprisingly from Jong Ajax, but that was another positive outlier. From the five games that followed, the formation of Pronk only got a point. With FC Den Bosch, the points were still shared, but then defeats followed MVV Maastricht, NEC Nijmegen, FC Eindhoven and Jong PSV. Striking is that Jong FC Utrecht lost with at least two goals difference. Last week, the match against Jong PSV offered the talents of Young FC Utrecht a good chance to book a result as the team from Eindhoven missed a carload of players due to the international round, but it did not come that far. Jong PSV hit mercilessly: 1-4.
Pronk had been able to use players from the first team in the previous game because of the interland weekend, but did not do it in the end. The coach again played with a relatively young and inexperienced team and that will probably be the case again against Young AZ.
PREDICTION: Jong AZ to win @ 1.50
