AZ Alkmaar vs Elfsborg Prediction 25.09.2024 | Europa League
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Contents
- Competition: UEFA Europa League - Group stage
- Date: Wednesday, 25th, September 2024
- Kickoff: 17:45 UK / 18.45 CEST
- Venue: AFAS Stadion (Alkmaar)
AZ Alkmaar will be looking to make a strong start to their Europa League campaign as they host Swedish side Elfsborg at AFAS Stadion for the opening match on Wednesday.
Even though they fell short of Champions League qualification by a mere four points, the Cheese Farmers took comfort in their fourth-place finish in the Eredivisie last season, which granted them direct access to the newly-look Europa League. Reflecting on last year's European campaign, AZ Alkmaar faced embarrassment as they were only able to muster six points from six group matches, finishing in third place, a staggering six points behind Poland's Legia Warszawa, but this time they will aim to improve their performance on the continental stage.
In contrast to the Dutch opposition that qualified directly for UEFA’s second-tier tournament, Elfsborg needed to put in considerable work to secure their place in European football this season. On their path to the league phase of the Europa League, Di Gule have seen off Pafos, Sheriff Tiraspol, and Rijeka, before knocking out Scandinavian rivals Molde on penalties during the final round of qualification playoffs. Unfortunately, Hiljemark's side have fared badly in the draw, as they will face AS Roma, Tottenham, Galatasaray, Braga, Athletic Bilbao, and OGC Nice, with the only manageable clash being against Qarabag.
AZ Alkmaar vs Elfsborg Betting Tips: AZ ALKMAAR TO WIN
Should AZ manage to translate their stellar league start into Wednesday's match, it is expected to result in an easy win for the Dutch club in their Europa League opener. Since the start of the 2024-25 campaign, Maarten Martens' squad has dropped points only once in their first six Eredivisie matches, winning five of them to take second spot with just two points behind the dominant leaders PSV. In hopes of launching their European campaign on a high note, AZ will draw motivation from their recent home match, where they cruised to their largest Eredivisie victory in history by demolishing Heerenveen 9-1. The Swedish team is determined not to allow such humiliation, but they also cannot expect anything positive, especially given their recent form has dipped to just one win in the last five matches across all competitions. While Elfsborg might discover a way to unlock the shaky defense of the Dutch club, AZ's relentless attacking prowess should compensate for any potential defensive errors and result in a three-point haul as they kick off the group stage of the UEFA Europa League.
AZ Alkmaar team news
Ahead of their European campaign opener, AZ Alkmaar will be without Mees de Wit, Lewis Schouten, Mayckel Lahdo, Ernest Poku, and captain Bruno Martins Indi, all sidelined due to injury issues.
Due to injury, Jeroen Zoer has made just one appearance in goal since arriving from Spezia this summer, but the 33-year-old is eager to reclaim his spot soon, although this time Jayden Owusu-Oduro will be making his sixth consecutive start between the sticks.
Last matches of
-
PEC Zwolle
1 : 2
AZ Alkmaar
Eredivisie
-
AZ Alkmaar
9 : 1
Heerenveen
Eredivisie
-
RKC Waalwijk
0 : 3
AZ Alkmaar
Eredivisie
-
FC Groningen
0 : 0
AZ Alkmaar
Eredivisie
-
AZ Alkmaar
1 : 0
NEC Nijmegen
Eredivisie
lineup
Goalkeeper
-
1
Rome Jayden Owusu-Oduro
Defenders
-
18
David Moller Wolfe
-
5
Alexandre Penetra
-
3
Wouter Goes
-
16
Seiya Maikuma
Midfielders
-
10
Sven Mijnans
-
6
Peer Koopmeiners
-
8
Jordy Clasie
Forwards
-
7
Ruben van Bommel
-
9
Troy Parrott
-
11
Ibrahim Sadiq
Elfsborg team news
With Jens Thomasen as the only absentee due to an injury sustained earlier this month against Brommapojkarna, the visitors can take pride in their healthy squad.
Nigerian international Ibrahim Buhari is expected to return to the defensive trio after serving a one-match suspension over the weekend.
Head coach Oscar Hiljemark is set to rely on the offensive skills of Michael Baidoo, who played a crucial role in the European qualifiers by scoring four goals and providing two assists.
Last matches of
-
Elfsborg
0 : 0
Hammarby
Allsvenskan
-
Elfsborg
2 : 2
Norrkoping
Allsvenskan
-
Halmstad BK
0 : 1
Elfsborg
Allsvenskan
-
Brommapojkarna
3 : 3
Elfsborg
Allsvenskan
-
Elfsborg
4 : 2
Molde
Europa League
lineup
Goalkeeper
-
31
Isak Pettersson
Defenders
-
2
Terry Yegbe
-
29
Ibrahim Buhari
-
8
Sebastian Holmen
Midfielders
-
23
Niklas Hult
-
16
Timothy Noor Ouma
-
27
Besfort Zeneli
-
15
Simon Hedlund
Forwards
-
18
Ahmed Qasem
-
10
Michael Baidoo
-
9
Arber Zeneli
3 Reasons why we expect AZ Alkmaar to Win
- AZ Alkmaar have come out on top in all but one of their opening six matches.
- AZ Alkmaar dismantled Herenveen in their last home match with a stunning 9-1 victory.
- Elfsborg's form has dipped slightly, with only one win in their last five competitive matches.
Main prediction -
to win
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Best Odds:
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1.54
Additional predictions
& current standing in Europa League
| League Stage | P | W | D | L |
G - A
|
GD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ajax | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 - 0 | +4 | 3 |
| 2 | FCSB | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 - 1 | +3 | 3 |
| 3 | Lazio | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 - 0 | +3 | 3 |
| 4 | Tottenham Hotspur | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 - 0 | +3 | 3 |
| 5 | Galatasaray | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 - 1 | +2 | 3 |
| 6 | Rangers | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 - 0 | +2 | 3 |
| 7 | Slavia Praha | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 - 0 | +2 | 3 |
| 8 | Olympique Lyonnais | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 - 0 | +2 | 3 |
| 9 | AZ | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 - 2 | +1 | 3 |
| 10 | Bod? / Glimt | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 - 2 | +1 | 3 |
| 11 | Anderlecht | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 - 1 | +1 | 3 |
| 12 | Fenerbah?e | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 - 1 | +1 | 3 |
| 13 | Sporting Braga | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 - 1 | +1 | 3 |
| 14 | Viktoria Plzeň | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 - 3 | 0 | 1 |
| 15 | Eintracht Frankfurt | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 - 3 | 0 | 1 |
| 16 | Athletic Club | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 - 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 17 | FC Twente | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 - 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 18 | Real Sociedad | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 - 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 19 | TSG Hoffenheim | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 - 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 20 | FC Midtjylland | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 - 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 21 | Manchester United | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 - 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 22 | Nice | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 - 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 23 | Roma | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 - 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 24 | Elfsborg | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 - 3 | -1 | 0 |
| 25 | Porto | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 - 3 | -1 | 0 |
| 26 | Ferencváros | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 - 2 | -1 | 0 |
| 27 | Maccabi Tel Aviv | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 - 2 | -1 | 0 |
| 28 | Union Saint-Gilloise | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 - 2 | -1 | 0 |
| 29 | PAOK | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 - 3 | -2 | 0 |
| 30 | Ludogorets | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 - 2 | -2 | 0 |
| 31 | Malm? FF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 - 2 | -2 | 0 |
| 32 | Olympiakos Piraeus | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 - 2 | -2 | 0 |
| 33 | Rīgas FS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 - 4 | -3 | 0 |
| 34 | Dynamo Kyiv | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 - 3 | -3 | 0 |
| 35 | Qaraba? | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 - 3 | -3 | 0 |
| 36 | Be?ikta? | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 - 4 | -4 | 0 |