AZ Alkmaar vs Legia prediction: EUROPE: Europa Conference League – Group Stage betting tips on match 2023-10-04 19:00.
Matchday two of the UEFA Europa Conference League (UECL) presents an opportunity for AZ Alkmaar to exercise some of their mental demons after a 4-3 loss to Zrinjski last time out which saw the Dutch outfit squander a 3-0 half-time lead! They’ve since responded with a three-match unbeaten streak in the Eredivisie (W2, D1), but fresh distractions could be afoot for the Cheeseheads, as boss Pascal Jansen has emerged as the frontrunner for the vacant manager’s position at Rangers.
AZ have become UEL specialists under Jansen’s stewardship, ever-present since the competition’s launch and semi-finalists in 2022/23. That run to the last four saw them dominate their group (W5, L1), while in their previous two seasons they’ve won all six home group matches, so they’ll certainly be confident of mounting a response here.
Legia Warsaw are the next visitors to the AFAS Stadion after making a positive start to their own UECL campaign, beating Aston Villa 3-2 in the Polish capital. They were forced to show their resilience in that five-goal thriller, as Villa twice fought back after falling behind before Legia eventually prevailed to upset Unai Emery’s side.
Legia followed that up with back-to-back league wins, but their bubble was burst by a first competitive defeat of the season at the weekend against Jagiellonia. That 2-0 reverse saw Kosta Runjaić’s men reduced to ten men for the third time in five outings, a fate they probably can’t afford to succumb to here if they’re to end a three-match losing streak against Dutch opposition.
Players to watch: AZ striker Vangelis Pavlidis has netted nine times in seven league matches this term, form he’ll be hoping to carry into the UECL, a competition he scored nine goals in 13 appearances in last season. Legia’s Ernest Muci hit a match-winning brace against Villa – five of his seven goals this campaign have arrived after half-time.
Hot stat: AZ have kept a first-half clean sheet in six consecutive matches, with five of those seeing them lead at the break.