In the quest to secure a spot in the top two of Group E, Aston Villa welcomes AZ Alkmaar to Villa Park in the Europa Conference League on Thursday.
Aston Villa dominated in Alkmaar last month, accumulating six points at the midway stage of the group, while AZ Alkmaar struggled against their Premier League counterparts, leaving them with three points.
Match Preview
As the Europa Conference League entered its third matchday, all four teams in Group E were level in terms of points and goal difference. However, Legia Warsaw and Aston Villa secured wins, taking them ahead with three games left.
Aston Villa had a comprehensive victory over AZ in their previous meeting, with Leon Bailey, Youri Tielemans, Ollie Watkins, and John McGinn all on the scoresheet.
Unai Emery’s side needed that result after an initial defeat to Legia, and back-to-back wins have put Villa in control of their destiny.
October was a fruitful month for Villa, with a superb unbeaten run and 13 goals from five games, propelling them to the Premier League’s top four. However, their scoring streak ended with a 2-0 loss at Nottingham Forest, placing them fifth in the table.
Aston Villa, the 1982 European champions, is on track to improve their ranking and make a deep European run. To do so, they aim to secure a double victory over AZ Alkmaar.
AZ Alkmaar’s Group E journey started with an incredible clash against Zrinjski, where they lost a three-goal lead to a 4-3 defeat.
However, they bounced back with maximum points against Legia Warsaw, despite being reduced to 10 men. Their recent loss to Aston Villa has left them three points away from a crucial top-two spot.
Aston Villa boasts an impressive record of 12 consecutive Premier League home wins. The gulf between the teams was evident when they met last month in the Netherlands.
Despite this, AZ Alkmaar has won eight of their 10 Eredivisie matches this season, averaging over 2.5 goals per game.
Team News
Unai Emery is likely to make several changes for Villa’s successive home games.
Long-term absentees Tyrone Mings and Emi Buendia, as well as Jhon Duran and Jacob Ramsey, are still unavailable.
However, Alex Moreno has recovered from a hamstring injury. Should he start, Lucas Digne would be rested, and players like Youri Tielemans and Leon Bailey, both scorers in the previous fixture, may see more playing time.
AZ Alkmaar is expected to switch to a more cautious 4-2-3-1 formation at Villa Park.
Vangelis Pavlidis, with 13 goals in 10 Eredivisie appearances, will lead the line.
Bruno Martins Indi may return to the starting lineup, but the defense’s composition remains uncertain. Jens Odgaard is set to replace Mayckel Lahdo on the right wing.
Predicted Lineups
Aston Villa Possible Starting Lineup:
- Martinez;
- Konsa, Carlos, Lenglet, Digne;
- Bailey, Tielemans, Luiz, McGinn;
- Zaniolo, Watkins
AZ Alkmaar Possible Starting Lineup:
- Ryan;
- Sugawara, Bazoer, Penetra, Wolfe;
- Clasie, Mijnans;
- Odgaard, D. De Wit, Van Brederode;
- Pavlidis
Prediction: Aston Villa 2-1 AZ Alkmaar
Aston Villa’s strong home record and AZ Alkmaar’s lessons from the previous encounter should make this match closer. Nevertheless, Villa has the edge and is likely to secure three points.