Lazio will be looking to claim the advantage when they host AZ Alkmaar in their Europa Conference League round of 16 first leg clash. The Italians have been in good form in recent weeks and should have the upper hand over Alkmaar in Tuesday’s meeting.
Lazio progressed into the round of 16 after seeing off Romanian side CFR Cluj in the knockout playoffs. Maurizio Sarri’s men held out for a 1-0 victory at home before playing out a 0-0 draw in the second leg to book their place in Tuesday’s clash.
Both results are part of a fine run of form for Lazio, who are unbeaten in their last five matches across all competitions. They have claimed four wins in that run and warmed up for the visit of Alkmaar by ending Napoli’s lengthy unbeaten run with a 1-0 victory in Serie A on Friday.
Lazio’s impressive form in recent weeks has been driven by a solid defence that has kept clean sheets in the last five matches across all competitions. The display against Napoli in particular will give them plenty of confidence as they kept a cleen sheet against the leading scorers in Serie A.
AZ Alkmaar are having a fine campaign in the Conference League and drew a bye in the knockout playoffs after finishing top of the standings during the group stage of the competition. They were the dominant team in Group E, claiming five wins in six matches.
While their group stage performance will give them confidence heading to the Italian capital, they have been a bit erratic lately. Pascal Janson’s men have claimed three wins and suffered two defeats in their last five matches across all competitions.
AZ Alkmaar have also not been particularly convincing on their recent travels with just one win in their last three away matches. However, the good news is that the win came last Friday as they edged out Vitesse 1-0 in an Eredivisie fixture.
How the bookies view it
Lazio have the upper hand among the bookies with a home win priced at 7/10 with bet365. A victory for AZ Alkmaar is valued at 4/1 by Unibet while a draw is set at odds of 14/5 with Paddy Power.
Head to head
This will be the first ever meeting between Lazio and AZ Alkmaar.
Players to watch
Ciro Immobile is slowly returning to his best form and scored the only goal in the playoff win over CFR Cluj. The striker could be worth keeping an eye on for Lazio and is priced at 20/21 by bet365 to get on the score sheet on Tuesday.
Lazio’s defence has played a pivotal role in their recent good form, keeping clean sheets in the last five matches across all competitions. Patric and Alessio Romagnoli should continue at centre-back and can lead the Italians to another clean sheet at 7/5 with BoyleSports.
Anything else catch the eye?
There has been under 2.5 goals in Lazio’s last nine matches across all competitions and a similar outcome is priced at 21/20 by Unibet. Given the Serie A side’s defensive solidity, BTTS NO can also be considered at 27/25 with Unibet.
Lazio have won to nil in four of their last five matches and that run could be set to continue at 2/1 by BetVictor.
This UEFA Europa League Conference match between Lazio and AZ Alkmaar will be played on Mar 7, 2023 and kick off at 17:45. Check below for our tipsters best Lazio vs AZ Alkmaar prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
