Jong AZ vs Helmond Sport - Eerste Divisie

There is a notable edge to this Eerste Divisie fixture. When Jong AZ meet Helmond Sport at the home ground on April 3, 2026, both will sense an opportunity to land a telling blow. That coronation came from City's £116m summer signing Elliot Anderson - and has been hotly debated in the build-up to the Manchester derby Super Sunday showdown at Old Trafford, which you can watch live on Sky Sports.

There is little to choose between Jong AZ and Helmond Sport on paper, and the Eerste Divisie encounter should reflect that balance. The hosts are badly in need of a turnaround, with DLWWL in their last five and a win rate of just 0% highlighting their struggles. The visitors have been enduring a wretched campaign, WWLDL in their last five and a season win rate of just 0% that leaves them deep in trouble. Goals could be in short supply or plentiful — Jong AZ average 0 per game to Helmond Sport's 0, and that gap may dictate the rhythm of the contest. During his 22 matches in charge, Oxford actually ranked as high as 14th in the table.

Set-piece efficiency and transition play often decide fixtures of this nature, and both managers will have been drilling those phases on the training ground. And there are still question marks even in attack, where they have an abundance of supporting forwards including Mbeumo, Cunha and Amad Diallo, but only one out-and-out striker in Sesko.

The fixture is likely to be shaped by its key performers, with creative midfielders and clinical finishers on both sides capable of turning the game in an instant. Set-piece specialists and aerial threats on both sides mean dead-ball situations could carry outsized importance. St Johnstone twice gave up a lead before storming back to edge a seven-goal thriller on their Scottish Premiership return at home to Kilmarnock.

Predicting an outright winner is no easy task given how little separates the two sides on paper. Expect a tight, competitive affair that could easily end all square at 1-1. With the standings tight and form on the line, this is a fixture neither side will want to lose. It is understood that his next move is most likely to take him abroad - and potentially to the Premier League.