Aston Villa – AZ Alkmaar : Preview & Prediction
Aston Villa return to UEFA Conference League (UECL) action motivated to bounce back from a weekend Premier League outing in which they suffered a shock 2-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest. That handed manager Unai Emery his 14th defeat in his 45 competitive games in charge of the club since taking over in October 2022.
Another of those defeats came on the opening day of this competition, but two wins since then, including a 4-1 thrashing of AZ Alkmaar in the first round, have helped them to a top-two finish in Group E. That success in the head-to-head clash, combined with an impressive record of just one defeat in their last five European home appearances (G3, E1) should inspire confidence that they can take another step towards qualification here.
AZ has had little chance to regain confidence after the heavy defeat to the English side. Their match days after that game was abandoned when they were 2-1 down in the 90th minute after opposing striker Bas Dost collapsed on the field, and then they recorded a 1-1 draw against Excelsior last weekend.
Despite a hectic few weeks, the last-placed team in Group E (G1, P2) should still have a chance of progressing with just three points separating them from top spot. They need to break the stranglehold that English teams have on them in European action to keep their qualification hopes alive, as AZ have lost all seven of their away games there, conceding more than two goals in each of them.
Players to watch: Villa’s John McGinn scored in his side’s previous home clash and in each of their last two UECL matches, with both of those goals in this competition coming in the second half. For AZ, Vangelis Pavlidis has scored in two of his side’s last three away games.
Weekend stat: Aston Villa has scored 13 goals in total after 60 minutes in its eight official home matches this season (G7, E1).
Aston Villa – AZ Alkmaar : Betting Tips
Aston Villa – Win Odds: 1.45
