Sunderland vs AZ Alkmaar Betting Tips & Predictions - Black Cats to Win in the Europa League

Alex Waite

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Last updated: Tue 15 Sep 2026 11:20

Alex Waite 1 hour ago

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Sunderland keep things tight at home
AZ Alkmaar face a step up in quality
A Europa League home win has value

Sunderland have won 4 of their last 5 home games (Getty)

Sunderland vs AZ Alkmaar Preview

Sunderland know how to get results at the Stadium of Light and frustrate opponents at home. AZ Alkmaar face a tough Europa League away test and the Black Cats can make a winning start.

Sunderland vs AZ Alkmaar Preview
Key Stats - Sunderland Win at Home
H2H
Sunderland Can Use Home Advantage
AZ Alkmaar Facing a Higher Quality Opponent
Predicted Starting Lineups & Team News

Key Stats - Sunderland Win at Home

Sunderland have won 4 of their last 5 home games.
AZ Alkmaar have lost 2 of their last 3 European away matches.

H2H

This will be the first-ever meeting between Sunderland and AZ Alkmaar.

Sunderland Can Use Home Advantage

Sunderland have an impressive recent home record and are unbeaten in five of their previous six, winning four.

The Black Cats were on a four-match winning streak at home. Victories came against Chelsea 2-1, Rennes 2-1, Fulham 1-0 and Hull 1-0 and Sunderland allowed -1 XG in three of those games.

That winning run ended with a 2-0 loss against Arsenal at the Stadium of Light. Regis Le Bris' side had 1.8 XG and Enzo Le Fee missed a penalty before Arsenal scored two second-half goals.

AZ Alkmaar Facing a Higher Quality Opponent

Eredivisie side AZ Alkmaar started the new season in decent form and are undefeated in seven consecutive games.

Alkmaar won three away matches in a row, starting with a 4-1 triumph at Utrecht. Lee-Roy Echteld’s side also beat Fortuna Sittard 2-0 and Heerenveen 3-2 away.

The Cheese Farmers dropped their first points of the season after a 1-1 draw against Willem II. Jordy Clasie scored in the first period and Alkmaar conceded in the final 10 minutes.

Predicted Starting Lineups & Team News

Sunderland (4-2-3-1): Robin Roefs; Nordi Mukiele, Kevin Danso, Dan Ballard, Reinildo Mandava; Granit Xhaka, Noah Sadiki; Thomas Meunier, Enzo Le Fee, Nilson Angulo; Brian Brobbey

Attacker Romaine Mundle is out with a knee issue and midfielder Habib Diarra has a hamstring injury.

Regis Le Bris recently confirmed Diarra’s absence for the foreseeable future and said the midfielder “is in the middle of his recovery”.

AZ Alkmaar (4-2-3-1): Jari De Busser; Elijah Dijkstra, Wouter Goes, Lewis Schouten, Mateo Chavez Garcia; Jordy Clasie, Peer Koopmeiners; Ayoub Oufkir, Dave Kwakman, Ro-Zangelo Daal; Mexx Meerdink

Defender Denso Kasius and midfielder Stije Resink and are sidelined with long-term injuries.

Highly-rated central midfielder Kees Smit is unlikely to feature after missing the last two games due to a groin problem.

Verdict

Sunderland v AZ

Sunderland give little away at the Stadium of Light and can keep AZ Alkmaar quiet on Wearside. A Black Cats' home win is tipped in the Europa League.

Sunderland Win

Full Time Result

@4/6 - 3 Units

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Alex is a full-time sports writer, covering football, cricket, golf, rugby and tennis as well as providing informative betting guides.

Alex was born in London and studied at Swansea University in Wales. He used to work as a teacher in London but changed a few years ago to work as a full-time sports writer. Mostly enjoys watching and writing about football, cricket, golf, rugby and tennis.

Also featured at OneFootball, Football Whispers and World Soccer Talk and can be found at LinkedIn, Twitter and Game Day Stories SubStack.