AZ will play two games this season. Thursday away against Vitesse and Sunday the return in Alkmaar. The winner of the double confrontation qualifies for the second qualifying round of the Conference League. The KNVB has appointed Pol van Boekel as referee for the duel in Arnhem, while Bas Nijhuis blows the whistle in Alkmaar.
Nijhuis whistled only once before in Alkmaar this season. No goals were scored in that game against SC Cambuur on January 22. The three away games that AZ played under the leadership of Nijhuis were all won. At NEC and sc Heerenveen it was 1-3 and in the Johan Cruijff Arena AZ booked a 2-1 victory under the supervision of Nijhuis.
Vitesse and Nijhuis are not a happy combination this season. None of the five games resulted in a victory for the Arnhem team (2 x draw, 3 x loss).
Pol van Boekel
AZ had to deal with Pol van Boekel once. In March he was the referee at the home match against FC Twente, which ended in a 1-0 defeat. Vitesse whistled Van Boekel twice (1x win, 1x loss). In the 4-1 loss at home against FC Twente, the arbiter gave Vitesse’s Danilho Doekhi his second yellow card and thus the red card in the 85th minute.
Suspension
Vitesse has to manage without Nikolai Baden Fredriksen in the first meeting against AZ. The Danish attacker (8 goals) received two yellow cards in the injury time of the extension of the game against FC Utrecht (3-0) and is therefore suspended for one game.
Vitesse – AZ starts Ascension Day at 20:00. The kick-off in Alkmaar is on Sunday at 2.30 pm.