Expect Utrecht to line up in their usual 4-2-3-1, with Barkas in goal and a back four of Vesterlund, Horemans, Eerdhuijzen, and Zagre. The double pivot of Pohl and Offerhaus will sit deep, trying to screen the defence and feed the likes of Alarcon and Cathline in the wide areas. De Wit will pull the strings in the hole, with Stepanov leading the line. It's a shape built for control, but it can become passive if AZ press high.

AZ, also in a 4-2-3-1, will miss Clasie — that's a blow. His experience and organisation in midfield are huge. But Dave Kwakman and Peer Koopmeiners are more than capable deputies. They'll form a double pivot that can play through Utrecht's first line of pressure. The key battle will be in midfield: Utrecht's wing-backs will push up, leaving space in behind, and AZ have the runners to exploit that. If Koopmeiners can find those half-space runners, Utrecht's back line will be stretched.

Set pieces could be a factor too. Both teams have height, but AZ's delivery from wide areas looks sharper. Utrecht will try to keep it tight, but AZ's movement off the ball — that knife-through-the-lines stuff — is exactly what breaks down low blocks.