De Graafschap host Jong AZ at Stadion De Vijverberg in a fixture that has recently been a goal-fest, with the home side scoring five past Jong AZ on their last two Eerste Divisie meetings here. Both sides are reshuffling heavily after the opening weekend — De Graafschap make…
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Sign inDe Graafschap welcome Jong AZ to their home ground for matchday two of the Eerste Divisie season, kicking off at 18:00 UTC on Monday 17 August 2026. The Superboeren drew their opener while the Alkmaar youngsters fell to a narrow defeat, leaving both sides with different early-season narratives.
De Graafschap opened their campaign with a point, sitting ninth in the fledgling table after a stalemate on the road. The Doetinchem club collected one draw from their first 90 minutes, enough to share mid-table company with five other sides. Jong AZ, by contrast, began life back in the second tier with a 1-0 home loss against FC Eindhoven on 11 August, slotting straight into 19th place with a minus-one goal difference. Across their last five league outings stretching into the previous season, De Graafschap have found three wins, while the visitors have managed only a single victory in the same sequence.
History leans heavily towards the hosts. The sides have met 16 times across league and cup competitions, with De Graafschap winning eight of those encounters. Jong AZ have struggled to impose themselves in this fixture, frequently coming up short against a more seasoned opponent. The most recent meetings underlined that pattern, with the Superboeren repeatedly punishing lapses in concentration from the young AZ back line.
De Graafschap field a squad built for the sharp end of the Eerste Divisie, mixing hardened campaigners with a clear ambition to challenge for the promotion play-off places. Jong AZ, as the reserve side of AZ Alkmaar, exist to furnish first-team-ready talent. Their starting XI often features teenagers still learning the physical demands of senior football. Monday evening’s contest will test whether Jong AZ’s technical promise can withstand the direct, high-tempo approach that De Graafschap typically deploy at home.
De Graafschap will look to bank a first victory before the fixture list thickens, aware that early momentum in this 38-game marathon is always valuable. For Jong AZ, the trip to Doetinchem is a chance to register a first point or three and escape the bottom rung after only two rounds of the new season.
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