Sunderland vs AZ Alkmaar Prediction 16 September 2026
🔊 The Stadium of Light is preparing for a historic evening: for the first time in 53 years, it will host a European match. Sunderland have returned to continental football after finishing seventh in the Premier League, having made a rapid rise from the Championship to the Europa League. Their first opponents are AZ Alkmaar, who are unbeaten this season and top of the Eredivisie.
🔁 This prediction will be updated as important news emerges. Check back closer to kick-off.
Head-to-Head
📊 These two sides have never met before, which adds an extra element of intrigue to the upcoming fixture.
Head-to-head statistics Sunderland - AZ Alkmaar
Sunderland Team Overview
The Black Cats come into their Europa League debut on the back of a painful 0-2 defeat to Arsenal in the fourth round of the Premier League. Despite the result, they put up a decent fight: Enzo Le Fée missed a penalty when the score was still 0-0, and Sunderland generated 1.79 xG overall, causing the champions real problems.
Régis Le Bris' side have picked up four points from four Premier League matches. They are struggling in front of goal, though, having failed to score more than once in any game so far this season. The historical context matters ahead of this fixture: the hosts have not played in Europe since 1973, and a packed Stadium of Light will create a special atmosphere. The key thing is not to let that occasion get to them.
Match Results: Sunderland
AZ Alkmaar Team Overview
AZ arrive in England as joint leaders of the Eredivisie alongside PSV, with five wins and a draw from six rounds and 17 goals scored. Their only dropped points came in a home draw with Willem II (1-1), where Jordi Clasie's goal was not enough to avoid sharing the spoils - though AZ were clearly the better side, as illustrated by the shot count alone (22-8).
Lee-Roy Echteld' side have been unbeaten since the start of the season, when they beat PSV (4-0) in the Dutch Super Cup. Their unbeaten run stretches back to last season and now stands at 14 official matches. However, a trip to England is about as difficult a test as AZ have faced over that run.
Match Results: AZ Alkmaar
Latest news
Sunderland
🚫 Habib Diarra is out for six to eight weeks with a thigh injury, and Romain Mandel will not return before the end of the year due to a knee injury (neither is a first-team regular).
✔ Reinildo received a red card in the match against Arsenal, but the suspension applies only to domestic competitions, so the defender is available for the Europa League match.
AZ Alkmaar
❌ AZ's squad situation is also far from ideal. Kees Smit will miss the match through a groin injury, Denso Kasius and Stije Resink are also unavailable, and Hobie Verhulst is ineligible for European competition.
❓ Ro-Zangelo Daal, the team's top scorer this season with five goals, picked up an injury in the match against Willem II, so his participation is in doubt.
🔁 Update - 16 September, 05:07 UTC:
- Mateo Chávez García is also a doubt after picking up an injury in the Willem II match. According to TNT Sports, he could be replaced by Mees de Wit, though the Mexican has been included in the squad.
Predicted Lineups:
📋 Predicted starting XI - Sunderland: Roefs - Mukiele, Ballard, Danso, Reinildo - Xhaka, Sadiki - Angulo, Le Fée, Fofana - Brobbey
📋 Predicted starting XI - AZ Alkmaar: De Busser - Dijkstra, Goes, Schouten, Chávez - Clasie, Koopmeiners, Kwakman - Stengs, Meerdink, Daal
🟨 Yellow Cards Prediction
The referee for this match is Jérémi Pignard, who has already made his mark with strict officiating this season: he showed nine yellow cards across two Ligue 1 matches and sent off two players in the French Super Cup. His average this campaign is 4.2 bookings per match. At least four yellow cards have been recorded in each of Sunderland's last three matches. That threshold is unlikely to drop, given the emotional significance of the Black Cats' return to European football. The bet is Total Yellow Cards - Over 3.5 at 1.60*.
⚽ Goals Prediction
Sunderland have already kept two clean sheets at home this season - against Fulham and Hull, both 1-0. A third in a row, however, will be difficult. For one thing, Régis Le Bris will surely consider at least some rotation, and for another, AZ are showing exceptional attacking output, averaging three goals per game so far this season. The Cheesemakers' scoring run now stands at ten consecutive official matches. Given the possible nerves and the hosts' inexperience in European competition, a bet on AZ Alkmaar to Score looks a logical one. The odds are 1.52*.
🚩 Corners Prediction
AZ average 8.3 corners per game this season. However, this is the Europa League, not the Eredivisie - they are unlikely to be given the same freedom at the Stadium of Light. Sunderland, for their part, average 4.4 corners per match, and all four of the Black Cats' opening Premier League fixtures produced low corner counts. With that in mind, we expect relatively modest activity from wide areas and, as a result, anticipate Total Corners - Under 10.5 landing at odds of 1.51*.
*Odds are indicative and may vary across different bookmakers.
⭐️ Editorial Prediction
A historic evening at the Stadium of Light promises to be a tense one. Sunderland are desperate to bounce back after their defeat to Arsenal and want to give their home crowd a win to celebrate on their return to European football. However, the opposition is a serious one. AZ are in excellent form and are unbeaten this season. The Dutch side are technically accomplished and dangerous in attack, so they should find a way past the home goalkeeper. And the Black Cats, on a night like this, simply cannot afford to leave the pitch without scoring. That logic points to one bet - Both Teams to Score - Yes. The predicted scoreline is 1-1.
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Betting Tips: Sunderland - AZ Alkmaar
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