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Heracles Almelo host AZ Alkmaar at Erve Asito on Thursday night in the KNVB Beker semi-final. The hosts will hope to continue their fairytale cup run.
Heracles beat lower division sides Winterswijk, De Graafschap and fellow Eredivisie teams NEC and more recently Utrecht en route their third domestic cup semi-final. They suffered their first defeat (4-0 at home)) in 10 games across competitions against Ajax last weekend in the Eredivisie, though.
AZ, meanwhile, took a tougher route to the last-four, beaten Groningen and Ajax before a comfortable 3-1 win over Quick Boys in the last round. They are fourth in the Eredivisie, 11 places and 19 points clear of Heracles, have lost one of their last 14 domestic games as they hope to win a fifth cup title.
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Heracles Almelo vs AZ Alkmaar Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- Thursday will mark the 45th meeting between the two sides. Heracles trail 32-7.
- Heracles have won two of their last 10 competitive games in the fixture.
- AZ have scored an impressive 21 goals in their last 10 meetings with Heracles.
- Heracles are the only team yet to concede in this season's KNVB Beker campaign.
- Heracles (43 goals in 23 games) have the second-worst offensive record in the top flight, while AZ (31) have the second-best defensive record.
- AZ are making their ninth KNVB Beker semif-inal appearance in 14 seasons.
Heracles Almelo vs AZ Alkmaar Prediction
Heracles are the slight underdogs but will rely on the magic of the cup to secure another historic result.
AZ, though, have much better quality and should get a comfortable victory but will have to avoid complacency to get the job done.
Prediction: Heracles 1-2 AZ
Heracles Almelo vs AZ Alkmaar Betting Tips
Tip 1 - Result: AZ
Tip 2 - Goals - Over/under 2.5 - Over 2.5 goals (Six of their last eight meetings have produced more than 2.5 goals.)
Tip 3 - Both teams to score: Yes (Both teams have gotten on the scoresheet in four of their last six matchups.)
