AZ Alkmaar will host Aston Villa with all the teams in Group E level on points in the Europa Conference League. Although AZ Alkmaar has scored more goals than their opponents, they are still ahead going into Thursday night’s match since Aston Villa has won their last four games.
Preview (AZ Alkmaar vs. Aston Villa)
It was a game to forget for AZ Alkmaar as they let a three-goal advantage slip in a wild seven-goal thriller against Zrinjski to start their Europa Conference League season. The Eredivisie squad, on the other hand, responded admirably to Legia Warszawa. However, they put on a far better defensive display, keeping a clean sheet and winning three points. Thanks to a goal from Vangelis Pavlidis, AZ Alkmaar managed to maintain their lead. The Greek striker has proven to be a serious threat this season across all competitions.
The club should feel a great deal of confidence from the outcome as they try to separate themselves from their Premier League rivals. Nevertheless, the visitors enter this match in excellent form. It was demonstrated by their 4-1 victory against West Ham United the weekend. The attacking prowess of Unai Emery’s team was demonstrated by goals from Douglas Luiz, Ollie Watkins, and Leon Bailey, demonstrating their all-around offensive ability.
They now have four games without a loss in all competitions thanks to that victory. They plan to maintain that streak as they attempt to climb the European group table. Aston Villa and their opponents played quite identical first two games. The former lost 3-2 and the latter won 1-0 thanks to tightening up at the back. Emi Martinez, the World Cup winner, will be striving for another clean sheet to provide his colleagues with the best opportunity to win the competition on a string. However, Martinez has a lot of skill in goal.
Team News
Lahdo was sent off in his previous Europa Conference League game. The hosts will be without him for this encounter. This could provide Tiago Dantas the opportunity to start. Pavlidis has scored 13 goals in nine Eredivisie games thus far. He is one player who will undoubtedly be on the field from the first whistle. He should lead the line by himself. Mees de Wit, has a foot issue, and Sem Westerveld is now dealing with a knee issue. They will be absent from AZ Alkmaar. It is unlikely that either man will play if not until the very end of the season, if at all.
The Villans are dealing with more than just these injuries, as Alex Moreno and Jacob Ramsey are also sidelined at the moment. A thrilling Europa Conference League matchup between two sides in excellent form that has had no trouble scoring goals this season is anticipated on Wednesday. However, there probably won’t be much separating the two teams. Aston Villa might have just enough strength to win this one.
AZ Alkmaar 1 – 2 Aston Villa
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