AZ Alkmaar take on the visitors Shakhtar Donetsk in the second leg of UEFA Conference League quarterfinals. First leg result: 0-3. The match will be played on Thursday, April 16th at AFAS Stadion (Alkmaar).
AZ generally have a solid reputation — not exactly a giant, but a strong representative of the “second tier,” which was confirmed by their 5th place finish in the previous Eredivisie campaign. At the same time, their recent performances have been inconsistent, with the team often struggling to maintain stability over a run of matches. Even when they show attacking quality, defensive lapses have prevented them from building momentum. Now, despite decent scoring numbers, there is a risk not only of failing to repeat that result, but even dropping into mid-table and losing a place in the playoff spots. So improvement is clearly needed in the final months of the season. Still, a focus on the cup final is also possible, where they face modest NEC Nijmegen. In European competition, the Dutch side have looked quite decent in the UEFA Europa Conference League. Yes, they stumbled early with a loss to Ilves, but then crushed the Finns, got past FC Vaduz and Levski Sofia, and collected 10 points in the main round. In the playoffs, they also started with an away defeat (0–1 to FC Noah), but then thrashed the Armenians and handled Sparta Prague in both matches.
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Shakhtar Donetsk are going through their first season under Arda Turan. “The Miners” appointed the former star player after being impressed by his work with Eyüpspor. Overall, the team’s performances have been uneven, alternating convincing wins with unexpected setbacks, especially in knockout ties. At the same time, they remain dangerous in decisive moments, often managing to grind out results under pressure. At his new club, he had to pull the national powerhouse out of decline — for the first time in nearly a quarter of a century, the orange-and-blacks finished outside the top two in the Ukrainian Premier League. It cannot be said that he has done so brilliantly: in the cup, they already lost in 2025 to their eternal rivals, Dynamo Kyiv. In the league, they also failed to create a comfortable gap over the surprise contender LNZ Cherkasy. In the UEFA Europa League, the Ukrainian Brazilians were eliminated by their third qualifying opponent, Panathinaikos — although they were somewhat unlucky, having confidently passed Ilves and Beşiktaş but failing to score against the Greeks and going out on penalties after two 0–0 draws. Later, they struggled even in the Conference League qualifiers against Servette FC. Then they seemed to handle the main round confidently, collecting 4 wins and 13 points. However, after starting the playoffs with a good away win against Lech Poznań, they collapsed in the return leg and were fortunate to advance thanks to an own goal. In their nominal home match against the Dutch side, they managed to open the scoring early and, after withstanding pressure, turned it into a convincing win.
The clubs already met in European playoffs in March 2005. Back then, the Dutch side were stronger in both matches. The Dutch side must at least try to take revenge. Backing AZ to win this one looks like the right call.
Prediction for the match: AZ Alkmaar to win.
