AZ Alkmaar vs Anderlecht
UEFA Europa Conference League
Date: 20 April 2023, Thursday
Kick-off at 17:45 UK / 18:45 CET
Venue: AFAS Stadion (Alkmaar).
AZ Alkmaar will face a difficult challenge on Thursday evening as they need to annul a two-goal deficit to advance from the UEFA Europa Conference league quarterfinal tie against Belgian side Anderlecht.
A goal in each half was enough for the Belgians to secure a big advantage in the first leg played seven days ago.
Michael Murillo and Majeed Ashimeru were scorers for Anderlecht who offered a surprisingly sound defensive showing on the occasion.
The fact they limited the Dutch outfit to just two shots on goal in the 90 minutes of play at Lotto Park says enough about Anderlecht’s performance.
The team led by Danish manager Brian Riemer thus made it seven straight games without a defeat in all competitions.
It was also the fifth straight clean sheet across competitions for Anderlecht, a run that includes a famous 0-1 victory over Villarreal away at Estadio de la Ceramica in the previous round.
Riemer mixed up his squad on Sunday afternoon when Anderlecht suffered a demolishing 5-2 defeat at the hands of Genk in the First Division A.
AZ Alkmaar, on the other side, snapped a streak of four losses and a draw in the last five games in all competitions by beating Fortuna Sittard 0-3 on the road four days ago.
Alkmaar thus stayed in contention for the top-two finish as they are now five points shy of Ajax and PSV Eindhoven who share the second place at the moment.
AZ Alkmaar vs Anderlecht Head-to-head
- These two teams met each other in the last 32 round of the UEFA Europa League back in the 1011/12 season.
- AZ Alkmaar advanced via two separate 1-0 wins on the occasion.
- None of three head to head games between these rivals saw three or more goals scored.
AZ Alkmaar vs Anderlecht Prediction
Anderlecht have improved their defensive performances drastically in the last month and we can look at their weekend’s loss at Genk as an exception to the rule, more so because Riemer’s men do not have anything to play for in the remaining part of the domestic league.
Expecting the visitors to park the bus, we will take the Under 2.5 goals FT bet at the 1.85 odds. You can alternatively take the 2.15 odds offered for Anderlecht not to lose on Thursday.
AZ Alkmaar vs Anderlecht Betting Tips
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Under 2.5 goals FT @ 1.85 (17/20)
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Anderlecht to win or draw @ 2.15 (23/20) odd.
