The club from Alkmaar finished only seventh in the Eredivisie. However, they won the cup and began the new season in style, thrashing PSV in the Super Cup. They also made an excellent start to the league campaign with a winning streak, but fell off sharply by mid-autumn. In Turin, the manager was changed again a year ago, yet the team still finished that league campaign sixth. Now, however, they are dropping points in half of their matches, including defeats.
The Dutch side began with a defeat, failing to respond in Sunderland after conceding the opener. But in October, they came out on top in a nominally away fixture against Hapoel Be’er Sheva. Against Ararat-Armenia, they secured a resounding 4-0 away victory.
The Italians, confirming their status as one of the main favorites, dismantled NEC 5-0. In the second round, they conceded first in Vigo but fought back to win 2-1. In their most recent match against Rennes, they played out an entertaining 2-2 draw.
Previous matches: AZ Alkmaar – Juventus
The Turin side will visit this opponent from the Netherlands for the first time.
The hosts have run out of steam — now they need to be beaten. We expect an away win for the Italians (odds – 2.0).
AZ Alkmaar – Juventus: key statistics and trends
AZ Alkmaar have won two of their three matches in the tournament
AZ score an average of 1.82 goals and concede 1.18 goals per match
Both teams have scored in 45% of AZ’s matches, while the average total goals per match is 3.0
Juventus have won two matches in a row
Juventus score an average of 1.3 goals and concede 1 goal per match
Both teams have scored in 30% of Juventus matches, while the average total goals per match is 2.3.
AZ Alkmaar – Juventus: possible starting lineups
AZ Alkmaar play in a 1-4-2-3-1 formation (possible lineup): De Busser — Maikuma, Goes, Houtt, De Wit — Kwakman, Koopmeiners — Oufkir, Byskow, Daal — Kovac
Juventus play in a 1-3-4-2-1 formation (possible lineup): Vicario — Kalulu, Gatti, Kelly — McKennie, Koopmeiners, Pape Sarr, Cambiaso — Conceicao, Alajbegovic — Woltemade
