Unai Emery’s Aston Villa will hit the road to square up against AZ Alkmaar as they look to improve their standing in the UEFA Europa Conference League.
Group E of the UEFA Europa Conference League seems to be an intriguing one after two matchdays as all four teams are level on points. But, things could drastically change on Matchday 3, and Aston Villa have a chance to strengthen their position with a win away from home against Dutch club AZ Alkmaar.
AZ Alkmaar started off their UEFA Europa Conference League campaign with a shocking 4-3 defeat at the hands of Zrinjski Mostar. They had more ball possession, took more shots on goal and even had a 3-0 lead at half-time. Despite all that, they ended up conceding four goals in the second half to lose in absolutely shocking fashion.
The Dutch club managed to bounce back from this horror outing and sealed a 1-0 win on Matchday 2 against Legia Warszawa. It was not a dominant display, but they managed to come out on top. And, now they will look to claim all three points when they host Aston Villa.
The visitors have been doing wonders since Unai Emery took charge last season. The Spanish manager has turned them into a winning machine and with the kind of signings they made last summer, they are expected to challenge for the Europa Conference League title. But, things did not get off to a great start for them.
On Matchday 1, Villa lost 3-2 to Legia Warszawa despite being the more dominant team on the day. They had more of the ball and took more shots, but Legia were more clinical in the final. Emery’s team bounced back with a 1-0 win over Zrinjski Mostar. And, now they will look to bring home all three points from this away trip to climb up the Group E table.
It is going to be an exciting encounter between two quality teams and the result of this fixture will surely have a big say on who eventually goes through. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could use.
Team News & Tactics
AZ Alkmaar
The home team will be without the services of Mees de Wit and Sem Westerveld for this fixture. Mayckel Lahdo, who was sent off in their last UEFA Europa Conference League match, is suspended for this outing.
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ποΈ Bestel nu jouw ticket(s) voor deze Europese topwedstrijd in het AFAS Stadion!#AZ #azavl #UECL
— AZ (@AZAlkmaar) October 24, 2023
The Dutch club could start with the 4-3-3 formation, where Mathew Ryan will be in goal. Yukinari Sugawara and David Moller Wolfe could be seen as the full-backs. In the heart of the defence, Riechedly Bazoer should pair up with Alexandre Penetra.
The three central midfielders will beΒ Jordy Clasie, Sven Mijnans and Dani de Wit. De Wit will be in a more attacking role while Clasie and Mijnans will form a shield in front of the back line.
Tiago Dantas and Myron van Brederode will feature on the flanks. They will look to stretch the opposition and create chances for the highly sought-after Vangelis Pavlidis, who bagged three goals in their last outings.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Ryan; Sugawara, Bazoer, Penetra, Wolfe; Clasie, Mijnans, De Wit; Dantas, Pavlidis, Van Brederode
Aston Villa
Unai Emery will be without the services of Tyrone Mings, Emiliano Buendia, Jacob Ramsey and Alex Moreno for this away trip. Despite the absence of some high-quality stars, Emery still seems to have enough options to field a strong starting XI. He will go ahead with the 4-4-2 formation, where Argentine World Cup winner Emiliano Martinez will be in goal.
Fresh threads for our first meeting with AZ Alkmaar. β¨ #UECL pic.twitter.com/uGj92BC8Om
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) October 25, 2023
Ezri Konsa and Lucas Digne could be the full-backs for this fixture. In the heart of the defence,Β Pau Torres could pair up with Diego Carlos in the heart of the defence. The back four will be determined to keep a clean sheet in this outing.
The versatile Matty Cash could feature on the right side of the midfield while skipper John McGinn should take charge on the left. Douglas Luiz and Boubacar Kamara will feature in more central roles and will look to help Villa dictate the pace and have the majority of the ball.Β Summer signing Moussa Diaby will give Ollie Watkins the much-needed support up top in attack.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Martinez; Konsa, Carlos, Torres, Digne; Cash, Kamara, Luiz, McGinn; Diaby, Watkins
Key Stats
- AZ Alkmaar and Aston Villa are all set to square up against each other for the first time.
- The home team have won five out of their last six games in all competitions. They have been unbeaten in those six matches.
- Aston Villa are unbeaten in their last four outings.
- AZ Alkmaar haven’t lost at home this season. They have won six out of the 10 outings.
Player to Watch
Ollie Watkins
Watkins has been doing sensational stuff in front of goal in the ongoing season. So, it won’t be wrong to say that the 27-year-old is amongst the most important players for Unai Emery’s team.
The England international has featured in 14 matches in all competitions this season and he has found the back of the net on eight occasions and also has five assists to his name. Given his incredible run in the final third, expect him to have a big say on the result of this fixture.
Prediction
AZ Alkmaar 1-2 Aston Villa
Aston Villa might have some world-class players in their ranks. But it won’t be a cakewalk to go past AZ Alkmaar. They have been in incredible form in the ongoing season and will surely give Emery’s team a tough fit.
But, given the recent form of some of the Aston Villa players, they might have enough in their tank to claim all three points from this fixture. As a result, The Hard Tackle predicts a hard-fought 2-1 win for the visitors.
