Exactly nine days after the spectacle that ended in 5-5 in Alkmaar, AZ and FC Utrecht face each other again. Tonight there must be a winner anyway who qualifies for the quarter finals of the KNVB cup tournament. The game can be followed live on the radio from 6.30 pm in an extra broadcast of NH Sport.
For FC Utrecht it will be the third away match in the cup this season. Previously, the amateurs of Sportlust’46 (0-3) and Blauw-Geel’38 (1-3) won. AZ was allowed to skip the first round and then easily eliminated Excelsior in Rotterdam (1-4).
Final in 1982
In the cup tournament, both teams only met each other twice in Alkmaar. That was in the golden years of AZ. In the last meeting, in 1982, the then AZ’67 won the cup. The final was played over two games at the time. The Alkmaarders lost 1-0 in the Galgenwaard stadium, but Georg Kessler’s team brushed that loss away in the return, thanks in part to a hat-trick by Kees Kist: 5-1.
FC Utrecht reached the final for the last time in 2020 by eliminating Ajax in the semi-finals. The final battle against Feyenoord was never played due to the corona pandemic. In 2016, the same Rotterdammers turned out to be too strong in the final 2-1. In 2004, the pine cone did go home with FC Utrecht thanks to the 1-0 win over FC Twente. AZ last won the Cup ten years ago by beating PSV 2-1.
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How AZ will perform tonight is very much the question. Trainer Pascal Jansen still has a very well-stocked infirmary. Martins Indi, Beukema, De Wit, Michailovic, Bazoer, Dekker and Vanheusden cannot be used, just like against FC Volendam (1-1). At FC Utrecht, Modibo Sagnan was injured this weekend in the 1-0 win against sc Heerenveen.
Kick-off is at 6:45 p.m. The extra broadcast of NH Sport starts at 6.30 pm. You will receive the commentary from Alkmaar Edward Decker and Frank van der Meiden. Your presenter is Robbert van den Heuvel.
On Thursday there will be another extra radio broadcast from NH Sport. It also starts at 6:30 PM. Ajax will visit FC Twente in the eighth final of the KNVB Cup.