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AZ Alkmaar
JuventusSeven points for Juventus, six for AZ Alkmaar. One position separating them in the Europa League table. This is the kind of fixture where automatic qualification to the last 16 could genuinely be decided, and both clubs know it. So the question heading into Thursday night is straightforward enough: can Juventus add to their strong continental record on the road, or will AZ’s remarkable European home fortress hold firm once again?
This preview breaks down the form, the team news headaches, the numbers that matter and where the value sits across the main betting markets.
The two sides meet for the very first time in competitive football at the AFAS Stadion in Alkmaar, with the game taking place in the Europa League league phase. AZ host as the lower ranked side in the table but carry enormous confidence at home in European competition, while Juventus travel as the side with more continental pedigree and a squad that, even when depleted, carries genuine quality in the final third.
Juventus are dealing with a squad crisis that just will not ease up. Leeroy Echteld has far fewer problems to manage by comparison, though AZ are not entirely without concerns heading in.
Juventus absentees and doubts:
AZ Alkmaar:
For AZ, Echteld has a relatively settled side. Patati and Meerdink lead the attacking threat after both scoring twice in the Europa League already, with Calvin Stengs pulling the strings between them. Oufkir’s availability adds an extra option off the bench. The Koopmeiners connection in midfield adds a storyline too, with club captain Peer facing his older brother Teun in what will be a surreal family affair.
AZ Alkmaar (expected): De Busser; Dijkstra, Goes, Hoedt, De Wit; Kwakman, P. Koopmeiners; Patati, Stengs, Daal; Meerdink
Juventus boss Luciano Spalletti has precious little room to manoeuvre. With so many bodies missing, Randal Kolo Muani and Nick Woltemade are not just the first choice front two, they are essentially the only choice. Alajbegovic is expected to play some part despite the knock, and Teun Koopmeiners is likely to get minutes in midfield. The back four picks itself given the absentees.
Juventus (expected): Vicario; Kalulu, Gatti, Bremer, Cambiaso; Luiz, Sarr; Kolo Muani, T. Koopmeiners, Alajbegovic; Woltemade
Juventus carry a brilliant continental record into this one. They have lost just one of their last 10 European games and have scored at least two goals in eight of those matches. The campaign started with a 5-0 demolition of NEC, then came a harder fought win over Celta Vigo in which both Woltemade and Kolo Muani found the net. The most recent Europa League outing was a 2-2 draw at home to Rennes, where Celik gave them the lead before they fell behind and Woltemade pegged it back from the spot. Woltemade is joint top scorer in this season’s competition with three goals already, which tells you plenty about where the goals are coming from for Spalletti’s side.
In Serie A, the picture is considerably messier. Juve beat Lecce 2-0, then got turned over 2-0 by Genoa. The Napoli game on Sunday was a genuine pressure cooker with Spalletti’s position reportedly under scrutiny, and goals from Alajbegovic and Boga eventually got the three points. Napoli themselves were 11 points clear at the top heading into that fixture, and Juve are sat below even newly promoted Frosinone in the table. The Europa League is absolutely a refuge for this squad right now.
AZ have been similarly inconsistent domestically. They have taken just one point from their last four Eredivisie games, losing to Feyenoord and Twente, drawing with Cambuur and then going down 1-0 at Ajax. It is a rough run. But flip to the European picture and it is a completely different story. AZ have not lost at home in UEFA competition for 17 matches, a run that stretches back three years. They beat Hapoel Be’er Sheva at the AFAS Stadion in this campaign and then swept Ararat Armenia aside 4-0 away from home, with Patati grabbing a brace. The gap between their domestic and European home performances right now is stark.
There is no historical head to head to lean on here because this is the first time AZ Alkmaar and Juventus have ever met in competitive football. Fresh slate, no patterns, no curse of the previous meetings hanging over either side. What we do know is that AZ’s European home record is extraordinary and that Juventus away in Europe have been solid but not bulletproof. The novelty of the fixture makes it genuinely open.
This is a tricky one to call on the match result market, and anyone telling you they are absolutely certain which way it goes is kidding themselves. What the data does point toward is a competitive, fairly tight affair where goals are possible at both ends but where neither side looks likely to run away with it. Juventus are strong enough in Europe to get on the scoresheet, and AZ’s front three have the tools to test a battered Juve defence. The markets around goals and scorers look the most interesting angles here.
Yes feels like the right call. Juventus have been finding the net consistently in Europe, and AZ have genuine attacking quality with Patati and Meerdink both already on two goals for the campaign. Juve’s defensive injury issues mean the back four could be exposed, and AZ at home in Europe always carry a threat. Both teams to score yes looks solid.
Expect a decent volume of corners in this one. Both sides press with intent and AZ in particular like to attack down the flanks with width, which tends to generate corner situations. Juventus will also look to win set piece opportunities given the quality they carry from dead ball positions. Over 9.5 corners looks a reasonable shout for a game with genuine attacking intent from both dugouts.
Over 2.5 goals. Juventus have breached the two goal mark in the majority of their recent European outings, and AZ are not exactly a side that shuts up shop at home. The domestic form from both clubs has produced goals despite the inconsistent results, and with Woltemade in the kind of form he is in, it would be a surprise if this one stayed tight all the way through. Over 2.5 goals is the pick.
Nick Woltemade. Joint top scorer in the Europa League this season, leading the line for a Juventus side that loves to funnel play through him, and already on the scoresheet against both NEC and Rennes. With AZ likely to press high and leave space in behind, Woltemade’s movement and finishing make him the standout first goalscorer option.
1-1. AZ’s home European record is too strong to back against entirely, but Juventus have more than enough quality to avoid defeat. A share of the spoils feels like the most likely outcome, with one goal apiece reflecting both the competitive nature of the tie and the genuine threats that exist in both squads.
This is a high stakes European fixture where both sides need points to secure automatic qualification for the last 16. Expect some intensity in the middle of the park, particularly with the Koopmeiners brothers adding an extra personal edge to the midfield battle. Over 3.5 cards is a decent shout for a game where the pressure is on and tackles will fly in.
| Market | Selection |
|---|---|
| Both Teams To Score | Yes |
| Over 2.5 Goals | Over |
| First Goalscorer | Nick Woltemade |
If Woltemade opens the scoring in a game where both teams find the net and goals flow past the 2.5 mark, all three legs land together nicely and each pick reinforces the same underlying read on the match.
AZ’s European home record demands respect, and you cannot simply dismiss 17 games unbeaten on home soil in UEFA competition as a fluke. But Juventus, for all their domestic struggles, are a different animal in Europe. They have the firepower in Woltemade and Kolo Muani to hurt anyone, and a squad that clearly finds motivation in continental football that it sometimes lacks in the league.
The most likely outcome here is a game that is hard fought, produces goals at both ends and ends level. Neither side is dominant enough right now to claim all three points with any real certainty, and a point each keeps both in the mix for automatic qualification heading into the later rounds. Predicted score: AZ Alkmaar 1-1 Juventus.
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