AZ Alkmaar will host Vaduz at the AFAS Stadion on Thursday in Matchday Two of the Europa Conference League group stage, with kickoff at 7:45 pm.
On Thursday, AZ Alkmaar thumped Dnipro-1 1-0 in Slovakia to maintain their perfect record in the Europa League.
The decisive strike came three minutes past the hour mark when Dani de Wit broke the deadlock to get the job done for Pascal Jansen’s men in Slovakia.
Consequently, the Cheeseheads currently lead the way in Group E after the opening round of matches, two points clear at the top of the standings.
However, they played out a 1-1 stalemate in their most recent league encounter on Sunday against FC Twente and have dropped to fourth place in the Eredivisie table.
With a mouth-watering encounter against Ajax this weekend, Thursday’s host’s search for yet another feather in the cap on a continental front.
Vaduz failed to find the back of the net for the first time in 10 games on their turf since June, as they settled for a point against Apollon Limassol in last week’s Conference League curtain-raiser for both teams at the Rheinpark Stadion.
Alessandro Mangiarratti’s men also drew 1-1 with Xamax in their most recent league affair, which now sees them sit bottom but one in the Swiss Challenge League.
AZ Alkmaar vs Vaduz Head to Head
Both sides are yet to face against each other and this marks their first encounter. Here is a look at their previous encounters:
Home
- AZ Alkmaar 1-1 FC Twente
- SC Dnipro 0-1 AZ Alkmaar
- FC Emmen 0-3 AZ Alkmaar
- AZ Alkmaar 1-1 NEC Nijmegen
Away
- Xamax 1-1 FC Vaduz
- FC Vaduz 0-0 Apollon
- FC Vaduz 1-1 Schaffhausen
- FC Lausanne-Sport 3-1 Vaduz
AZ Alkmaar Team News
AZ’s Vangelis Pavlidis misses out due to a leg injury, while Sweden international Jesper Karlsson is unavailable through a muscle injury. Thirty-year-old Bruno Martins Indi has not figured since late August against Cambuur and remains sidelined through a knee problem.
FC Vaduz Team News
Fuad Rahimi will be missing for Vaduz on Thursday, as the defender has yet to return from a long-term knee injury. The home side will also have to contend with Liechtenstein international Sandro Wieser’s absence, who remains sidelined with an ankle injury.
Prediction and Odds
AZ has the most experienced crop of players at this level, and they will expect to win this game. We anticipate them coming away with all three points in a routine manner.
- Home Win
- Both Teams to Score
- Goals Over 2.5
