Preview

Shakhtar will face representative of Eredivisie AZ Alkmaar in the friendly.

The game kicks off at 15:30 Kyiv time. Live stream of the test matches of the Orange-and-Blacks at the training camp will be available on Shakhtar’s official YouTube channel. Also follow the events around the match in the updated FC Shakhtar application in the match centre section.

The app is available on App Store and Google Play.

Opponents

Being formed in 1967, AZ Alkmaar became the champions of the Netherlands (1981, 2009) twice and are 4-time winners of the National Cup (1978, 1981, 1982, 2013). In the last decade, the club has consistently shown high results, almost always finishing in the top five of the domestic championship and regularly appearing in European competitions. Alkmaar finished the 2022/23 season in the 4th spot in the Eredivisie, losing only 2 points to Ajax in the fight for bronze. The team's performances in the UEFA Conference League were successful: starting with qualification, the Cheese Farmers successfully got over the group stage, beat Ukrainian Dnipro-1 twice (1-0 and 2-1) and reached the tournament semi-final in the end, losing only to the future winners – English West Ham.

For the third year in a row, AZ Alkmaar has been headed by 50-year-old Dutch specialist Pascal Jansen, who previously worked only with youth and junior teams. The best player of the team in the previous season was 24-year-old Greek striker Vangelis Pavlidis: he scored 22 goals and provided 14 assists in 40 matches. Central midfielder Tijjani Reijnders (7 goals and 12 assists) and Swedish winger Jesper Karlsson (13+8) can also be noted among the leaders of the current squad. The progress of 19-year-old defender Milos Kerkez (52 matches, 5 goals and 7 assists in the 2022/23 season), who is currently considered one of Alkmaar's main transfer assets, is deserved to be distinguished.

In the summer, AZ managed to gain from the sale of central defender Sam Beckham to the Italian Bologna, acquiring a whole group of young talents in return, among whom we can note fullbacks Denso Kasius and David Moeller Wolfe.

Shakhtar and AZ Alkmaar met only once when they played in the UEFA Cup last-16 in the 2004/05 season. The Dutch proved stronger in both matches back then – 1-3 and 1-2.