AZ Alkmaar, aiming to continue their perfect record in the 2022-23 Europa Conference League, welcome Apollon Limassol to the AFAS Stadion on Thursday with kickoff at 10 pm.
AZ Alkmaar won their third consecutive match by beating Groningen 4-1 at the Euroborg on Saturday evening.
Pascal Jansen’s men raced to a two-goal lead in the first half when Dani de Wit scored, and Jesper Karlsson added another soon after.
Ricardo Pepi reduced the deficit shortly after halftime, but Milos Kerkez and Mayckel Lahdo put the game beyond doubt in the second half.
Consequently, the Cheeseheads have risen to the Eredivisie table, one point clear of defending champions Ajax and two above PSV Eindhoven.
Also leading their Conference League group, AZ now set out to take a huge step towards progressing into the knockout stages of Europe’s newest club tournament.
Apollon Limassol drew level with Paphos to share a point apiece in their last league outing on Saturday.
The game ended 1-1 after Jairo gave Paphos the lead in the 38th minute, and Vladimiro Etson equalized for Apollon midway through the second half.
The Blue-whites have failed to win any of their most recent three involvements since a 2-1 victory over Omonia Nicosia on September 11.
AZ Alkmaar vs. Apollon Limassol Head to Head
Both sides have yet to face each other, marking their first encounter. Here is a look at their previous encounters:
Home
- Groningen 1-4 AZ
- AZ 2-1 Ajax
- AZ 4-1 Vaduz
- AZ 1-1 Twente
Away
- Apollon 1-1 Pafos
- Nea Salimana 1-1 Apollon
- Apollon 1-3 Dnipro
- Apollon 2-1 Omonia
AZ Alkmaar Team News
Az Alkmaar will have to make do without Vangelis Pavlidis, who is unavailable because of a leg injury. The hosts will also be without Bruno Martins Indi, who has not featured since September 11. Norway international Hakon Evjen has been missing since September 11th.
Apollon Team News
Apollon’s Bagaliy Dabo is set to miss Thursday’s game with a muscle injury. Nicolas Diguiny is also unavailable for the visitors, but the Frenchman is close to returning from his injury.
Prediction and Odds
With AZ Alkmaar in fine form, we expect the home side to prevail over their hapless visitors easily.
- Home Win
- Goals Over 3.5
- Both Teams to Score
