Prediction: Match to end in 1-1 draw
Best Odds: 11/2
AZ Alkmaar and Galatasaray will lock horns with each other in the UEFA Europa League this week. The first leg of the Knockout Round playoff tie between the Dutch Eredivisie club and the Turkish Super Lig outfit will be held at the AFAS Stadion and is scheduled to kick off at 8pm UK time on Thursday.
AZ Alkmaar
AZ Alkmaar are a major club in the Netherlands that regularly complete for the European places in the Eredivisie table and play in major European competitions. De Kaasboeren finished fourth in the league table last season and will be hoping for something similar this time around.
Maarten Martens’s side are fourth in the Eredivisie table at the moment with 40 points from 22 matches. AZ are only two points behind third-placed Utrecht and could still end up third. De Kaasboeren finished 19th in the League Stage of the UEFA Europa League table with 11 points from eight games.
AZ Alkmaar will head into the game against Galatasaray at the AFAS Stadion on the back of a 2-0 victory over PEC Zwolle at home in the Dutch Eredivisie. It came after a 3-1 win against Quick Boys in front of their fans in the Dutch KNVB Beker which followed a 2-0 victory over Willem II away from home in the league.
Team News:
AZ Alkmaar are likely to line up in a 4-3-3 formation against Galatasaray. Rome-Jayden Owusu-Oduro will be in goal for the Dutch club and will have Denso Kasius, Wouter Goes, Alexandre Penetra and David Wolfe in front of him in defence. Peer Koopmeiners, Sven Mijnans and Jordy Clasie will be the three midfielders. Jayden Addai, Troy Parrott and Mayckel Lahdo will be the three forwards.
Galatasaray
Galatasaray are one of the biggest clubs in Turkey who regularly compete for the Turkish Super Lig and also feature in Europe’s major club competitions, such as the UEFA Champions League. Okan Buruk’s side became the champions of Turkey last season and will be determined to retain the title this time around.
Sarı-Kırmızılılar are at the top of the Turkish Super Lig table at the moment with 57 points from 21 matches, three points ahead of second-placed Fenerbahce, who have played 22 games. Buruk’s team finished 14th in the League Stage table of the UEFA Europa League with 13 points from eight games.
Galatasaray will head into the UEFA Europa League match against AZ Alkmaar at the AFAS Stadion on the back of a 1-0 victory over Gaziantep FK away from home in the Turkish Super Lig. It came after a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Ajax in Amsterdam in the UEFA Europa League which followed a 1-0 victory over Konyaspor in front of their fans in the league.
Team News:
Galatasaray are likely to line up in a 3-4-1-2 formation against AZ Alkmaar. Fernando Muslera will be in goal for the Turkish Super Lig club. Kaan Ayhan, Davinson Sanchez and Abdülkerim Bardakci will be the three defenders. Elias Jelert, Lucas Torreira, Gabriel Sara and Roland Sallai will be the four midfielders. Dries Mertens will be the playmaker. Victor Osimhen and Ahmed Kutucu will lead the line for Galatasaray.
Key Factors to Consider
- AZ Alkmaar have scored 13 goals in 8 UEFA Europa League matches this season.
- AZ Alkmaar have conceded 13 goals in 8 UEFA Europa League matches this season.
- AZ Alkmaar have won 2 and lost 2 of their last UEFA Europa League matches this season.
- Galatasaray have scored 19 goals in 8 UEFA Europa League games this campaign.
- Galatasaray have conceded 16 goals in 8 UEFA Europa League games this campaign.
Conclusion
Neither AZ Alkmaar nor Galatasaray did particularly well in the UEFA Europa League, and the first leg of the tie between the two clubs is likely to be a very tight affair. It is very likely that it will end in a draw.
Prediction: Match to end in 1-1 draw
Best Odds: 11/2
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