AZ Alkmaar vs West Ham – Thursday 20:00
AZ Alkmaar will hope to overturn a 2-1 deficit on home soil when they face West Ham in the Europa Conference League semi-finals second leg at AFAS Stadion.
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Key stats
- AZ Alkmaar have won all eight of their Europa Conference League matches at home this season.
- Both teams have scored at least once in 16 of AZ’s last 21 home matches.
- West Ham are unbeaten in all 13 of their Europa Conference League matches this season, winning 12 of them.
- West Ham have scored two or more goals in 10 of their 13 Europa Conference League matches this season.
AZ Alkmaar vs West Ham – Verdict
AZ Alkmaar have been a tough nut to crack at the AFAS Stadion this season and they’ll need to be at their best to overturn a 2-1 deficit against West Ham United.
The Dutch side led at the break in London thanks in large part to a disastrous piece of goalkeeping from Alphonse Areola, but second-half goals from Said Benrahma and Michail Antonio sealed a Hammers victory.
AZ have earned plaudits for their style of play and results both domestically and in Europe this season, most notably winning home and away against Serie A side Lazio.
For all the praise that’s been heaped on them, their performance in the first leg was flat and deserving of nothing more than a defeat. They controlled possession on the night but it didn’t translate to chances.
West Ham were able to keep them at arm’s length for the duration of the game and took away the space effectively. As an attacking force, they didn’t get going in the first half, although Lucas Paqueta could have levelled.
Once David Moyes’ men clicked into gear after the break, AZ didn’t have an answer for them. Kurt Zouma and Nayef Aguerd had high-quality chances to add to their first-leg lead.
There’s no doubt that AZ will be a different proposition at home, but they didn’t deal with the Irons’ size and strength and always looked susceptible to conceding.
At the AFAS Stadion, AZ have conceded in 16 of their last 21 matches in all competitions. Most of those visitors have been limited to one goal, but Apollon (2), Feyenoord (3) and Utrecht (5) caused them real problems.
West Ham have conceded in 14 of their last 16 Premier League away matches. The Europa Conference League has provided respite, but the difficulty level goes up a few notches here.
It seems unlikely the Hammers will be able to keep the hosts out. Equally, AZ just look like a team capable of giving a goal to anyone who needs it. West Ham have the attacking quality to do what’s needed.
