The traditional curtain raiser in the Netherlands will see AZ Alkmaar and Ajax Amsterdam battle it out for the Dutch Super Cup trophy, also known as Johan Cruijff Schaal.

It was the team from Alkmaar that ran out easy winners last time the two sides met, as they recorded a 3-0 win in the KNVB Beker semi-finals.

Gertjan Verbeek’s side then went on to win the trophy after seeing off PSV Eindhoven in the final, which saw them save what had looked like a very disappointing season.

Following a 10th-place finish in last year’s league campaign, AZ Alkmaar will be hoping to show a considerable improvement this time out, although they will have some catching up to do.

Top scorer Jozy Altidore and key midfielder Adam Maher are going to be sorely missed, with Erik Falkenburg tipped to prove his worth after returning from a loan spell at NEC.

Talented Icelandic forward Aron Johannsson is also expected to make an impact in the Dutch Super Cup match against Ajax, with AZ Alkmaar no less than 7.50 (13/2) at Stan James to win in regular time.

Seeing as how there are no new selection problems for Gertjan Verbeek, he is likely to field the same side that recorded a 3-0 win over Getafe in the final warm-up game.

Probable starting line-up (4-3-3): Esteban – M. Johansson, Gouweleeuw, Wuytens, Viergever – Elm, Gudelj, Henriksen – Beerens, Johannsson, Gudmundsson.

A strong finish to the season saw Ajax win their third successive Eredivisie title, while some promising showings in the Champions League more than compensated for the Dutch Cup failure.

With a number of first team regulars attracting admiring glances from top European clubs, boss Frank de Boer was hoping that some of his key players will remain at Amsterdam ArenA.

And while Christian Eriksen, Siem de Jong and Toby Alderweireld continue to be linked with moves away from the club, the trio are still at de Boer’s disposal.

Meanwhile, the Amsterdammers have added the likes of Bojan Krkic and Mike van der Hoorn to their ranks, meaning they have got to be considered favourites in this clash.

With the team having also done really well in pre-season friendlies, Ajax are 1.44 (4/9) with bet365 to win in regular time.

Mike van der Hoorn and Davy Klaasen are still lacking match fitness, while all other players are fit to face AZ Alkmaar.

Probable starting line-up (4-3-3): Vermeer – van Rhijn, Veltman, Moisander, Blind – Eriksen, Poulsen, De Jong – Krkic, Sigthorsson, Fischer.

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