Fans eager for final Eredivisie match day; Ajax, PSV, & AZ battling for European play
Football fans are brimming with excitement for the final match day of the Eredivisie on Sunday. PSV Eindhoven, Ajax Amsterdam, and AZ Alkmaar will be fighting for the three spots in the European competitions. The stakes are especially high for Ajax: the Amsterdam club has the possibility to finish in second, third, or even fourth place. PSV and AZ will face each other on Sunday, adding even more drama to this decisive last round.
While this year's Eredivisie winner, Feyenoord, has already earned a direct ticket to the Champions League group stage, the runner-up will get a chance during the Champions League qualifiers. The club that takes third place will enter the Europa League knockout playoffs, and the one finishing fourth will enter the Conference League qualifiers.
As it stands, PSV occupies the second position with 72 points, while Ajax lags just behind in third place with 69 points. The Amsterdammers will travel to Enschede to face FC Twente, who currently sit in fifth position, and will be hoping for a slip-up from PSV in Alkmaar against AZ. PSV needs only a draw to secure their Champions League qualifier ticket, therefore holding Ajax's fate in their hands.
The stakes are also high for AZ, which still has a shot at a Europa League spot with 67 points, two points behind Ajax. The Alkmaar team needs to defeat PSV and is hoping that Ajax suffers a loss against Twente to secure its ticket to the Europa League. If Ajax manages a draw and AZ wins, the Amsterdam team will remain third, thanks to its superior goal difference.
Ahead of this final Eredivisie round, PSV’s trainer Ruud van Nistelrooij stepped down with immediate effect, the club announced on Wednesday. He made the decision as he no longer felt supported by the club, the team said. Fred Rutten will replace the former Manchester United player to lead the team for the decisive game against AZ.
In Eindhoven, Ruud van Nistelrooij's sudden departure is on everyone's lips. "We didn't see it coming," stated Tijmen (23), a PSV fan who spoke with NL Times. He remains confident about Sunday's game. "We only need a draw, so that shouldn't be a problem," he explained. "And if it turns out that Ajax will lose, we can just let AZ win," he said laughing.
At Ajax, the situation is also tense. After a poor season in terms of performance, the entire board indicated it will resign before September 1, as announced by the club on Wednesday. The club also faced criticism this week after it asked the municipality to cancel the public celebration for the Ajax Women's national title, citing 'the lack of a joyful mood at and around Ajax in general.'"
Among Ajax fans, excitement for the game is not very high. Ralf (27), an Ajax supporter who spoke with NL Times ahead of the game, did not exhibit much optimism. “Ajax needs two favorable results. Given how the whole season has gone, not reaching the Champions League seems fitting,” he said.
Ralf admitted that the current turmoil at PSV might benefit Ajax, Ralf argued that Ajax's primary goal should be to secure its Europa League ticket to avoid the Conference League. "Otherwise you end up playing against the number 3 from Bulgaria in the middle of summer. That would be terrible," he warned.
Sunday's final round will also occur in the wake of riots that broke out last Thursday at the AFAS Stadium, following AZ's semi-final loss to West Ham United in the Conference League. Consequently, the municipality of Alkmaar announced on Wednesday that they will implement additional precautions for Sunday's game. This match should be seen as an opportunity for AZ fans "to show how football should be experienced in the right way,” according to the city’s college of the mayor and the aldermen.
In Alkmaar, fans are keeping their spirits up despite last week's riots against West Ham. Martijn (44), an AZ fan who runs the azfanpage.nl website, told NL Times that he hopes Sunday’s game will be “just about football" and believes his team has a high chance of winning. "Considering all the chaos at PSV and Ajax, the odds are in our favor. Besides, we don’t have much to lose." He pointed out that this season has shown that AZ fares better in the Conference League.
"But, of course, we will fight for the Europa League ticket,” he said.
