Aston Villa vs AZ Alkmaar prediction: EUROPE: Europa Conference League – Group Stage betting tips on match 2023-11-08 20:00.
Aston Villa return to UEFA Conference League (UECL) action motivated to bounce back from a rare off day in the Premier League at the weekend when they fell to a shock 2-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest. That handed manager Unai Emery just a 14th defeat from his 45 competitive matches in charge of the club since taking charge in October 2022.
Another one of those losses came on matchday one of this competition, but two wins since, including a 4-1 demolition of AZ Alkmaar in the reverse, has helped them climb into the top-two of Group E. That H2H success, combined with an impressive record of one home European loss from their last five (W3, D1), should inspire confidence that they can take another step towards qualification here.
AZ havenāt had many opportunities to rebuild confidence following that heavy loss to the English side. Their fixture days after that contest was abandoned when they were 2-1 down in the 90th minute after opposition striker Bas Dost collapsed on the pitch, and then they played out an unremarkable 1-1 draw against Excelsior this past weekend.
Despite a tumultuous few weeks, Group Eās bottom side (W1, L2) should still fancy their chances of progression with just three points separating them from the top spot. They do need to break the hold that English sides have over them in European action to realistically keep their qualification hopes alive, as AZ have lost all seven of their away games on these shores, conceding 2+ goals in each of those matches.
Players to watch: Villaās John McGinn scored in his sideās last home game, and in each of their last two UECL matches, with those two efforts in this competition coming in the second half. For AZ, Vangelis Pavlidis has netted in two of his side's last three away matches.
Hot streak: Aston Villa have scored 13 combined goals beyond the 60th minute across their eight competitive home games this season (W7, L1).