AZ Alkmaar are looking to complete the double over Lazio as both teams square off in second leg of their Europa Conference League tie. The Dutch side have already done the hard part by winning in Italy and should complete the job in front of their fans.
Alkmaar showed great character to come from behind and claim a 2-1 victory over Lazio in the first meeting. Having gone behind early in the contest, they struck back just before the break through Vangeles Pavlidis before Milos Kerkez netted the winner in the second half.
The Dutch side followed up that result with a 1-0 victory over Groningen in an Eredivisie fixture last Saturday. The result means Pascal Janson’s men are heading into Thursday’s clash off the back of four straight wins.
AFAS Stadium has also been a fortress for Alkmaar lately as they have won their last three home matches across all competitions. They are also yet to suffer a home defeat in the Conference League, winning the last six matches in front of their fans.
Lazio have a difficult task on their hands on Thursday after losing at home in the first leg. More disappointing is the fact that they failed to build on an early lead from Pedro and ultimately capitulated to the Dutch side.
The Serie A side have been erratic in recent times and have claimed just two wins and as many draws in their last five matches across all competitions. One of those draws came last weekend as they were held 0-0 by Bologna in a domestic fixture.
A major problem for Lazio is their poor record on their travels in Europe as they are winless away from home on the continent. Maurizio Sarri’s men failed to claim a single win on the road during the group stage of the Europa League and also played out a 0-0 draw at CFR Cluj in the Conference League knockout playoffs.
How the bookies view it
The bookies are expecting a closely fought encounter here with a win for AZ Alkmaar priced at 9/5 by Unibet, who are also offering odds of 6/4 for a Lazio victory. A draw is set at odds of 12/5 by Paddy Power.
Head to head
Last week’s clash was the first ever meeting between AZ Alkmaar and Lazio.
Players to watch
Vangeles Pavlidis is the leading scorer for AZ Alkmaar this season and could be the one to watch on Thursday. The Greek forward has scored in his last two Conference League matches and is priced at 15/8 by bet365 to find the net.
With Ciro Immobile sidelined with injury, Pedro could be the one to watch for Lazio. The forward scored the only goal for the Serie A side last time out and is priced at 9/4 by bet365 to find the net on Thursday.
Head to head
Both teams were on target in the first leg and Thursday’s clash could be tipped to follow a similar pattern at 4/6 with bet365. That fixture also produced over 2.5 goals which is valued at 19/20 with Unibet while over 3.5 goals is priced at 23/10 with Paddy Power.
AZ Alkmaar have opened the scoring in their last seven home matches in the Conference League and could be tipped to grab the first goal on Thursday at evens with Paddy Power.
This UEFA Europa League Conference match between AZ Alkmaar and Lazio will be played on Mar 16, 2023 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best AZ Alkmaar vs Lazio prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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