Ferencvaros vs AZ Alkmaar prediction: EUROPE: Europa League – League phase betting tips on match 2025-01-29 20:00.
[p]This is set to be a tense encounter for Ferencváros, who currently occupy a UEFA Europa League (UEL) knockout round play-off spot but are at risk of being eliminated should they suffer defeat. The home side are coming towards the end of their winter break and looked a little rusty last week away to Eintracht Frankfurt, losing 2-0 to mark a third defeat from their last six competitive matches (W2, D1). [/p]
[p]Ferencváros have tended to show the best version of themselves on home soil though which could be key here. The Hungarian outfit are undefeated in six straight matches as the home side (W4, D2), while five of their last eight home UEL main-draw games also delivered victories (D1, L2), which represents a notable uptick in form given Ferencváros failed to win any of their five such games before that. [/p]
[p]That form should concern AZ Alkmaar who have endured a rotten run on their European away travels, with last month’s draw against Ludogorets (2-2) making it no win in six UEL games on the road (L5). A win at home to Roma in this competition last week (1-0) to maintain their play-off push would have boosted confidence, but they were quickly brought back down to earth with a 2-1 home defeat to Sparta Rotterdam this past weekend.[/p]
[p]It’s unclear what AZ side we can expect to turn up here, yet what would not be a surprise is a fast start from Maarten Martens’s men. In this competition, they have scored first in each of their last four matches, with two of those openers coming inside 15 minutes, and those fast starts have helped them forge a four-game unbeaten UEL run (W2, D2). [/p]
[p]Players to watch: Despite failing to score in Frankfurt last week, Ferencváros forward Barnabas Varga still has an impressive record of four goals from his past four competitive appearances, three of which arrived before half-time. Opponent Troy Parrott has been a consistent threat over the last month, registering five goal contributions (G4, A1) across his past ten competitive games for AZ, including the winner against Roma last week. [/p]
[p]Hot stat: Ferencváros have won just one of their seven European meetings with Dutch sides (D2, L4). [/p]
[p][i]Written by David H[/i][/p]