AZ Alkmaar hosts Antwerp in the first leg of the Europa League qualification finals. The match will be played on Thursday, August 22nd at AFAS Stadion (Alkmaar)
Alkmaar sacrificed the last round in the local championship, getting only a draw in a home match with Groningen. Now AZ has a very difficult period in the season - the Dutch must secure at least some advantage in the first match with Antwerp before the return away game. Besides, Alkmaar’s shape is very good now, and the team looks especially good in the home field. I’m sure the Dutch will focus on the first match. Look at the last round with Mariupol - in the away match, AZ played with the 0-0 score but tore the Ukrainian team in the home game (4-0). I’m sure that the rotation, which is actively used by the coaching staff of AZ, will help the hosts win in the upcoming confrontation...
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In the last round, Antwerp eliminated Viktoria Plzen, scoring a decisive goal in the 113th minute of the away match, but if we take only the regulation time of the match, the Belgians lost 0-1. I think that the visitors will have a few chances in this match too. Antwerp, like today's rival, is a home team that will certainly focus on the match in Belgium. Antwerp won’t succeed on the road because the opponent is very strong. Besides, the visitors are not playing very successfully under pressure, which they showed at the previous stages - the Belgian team was not very confident playing away. It seems to me that Antwerp will close because the main task in the away match against AZ is not to concede a lot...
It seems to me that it is worth betting on the victory of the home team in this match. Alkmaar has been playing pretty well in its field recently, while Antwerp rarely shows its best football on the road. The victory of the Dutch!
Prediction for the match: AZ Alkmaar to win
