AZ Alkmaar host another Turkish side Galatasaray at AFAS Stadion in Europa League in the fifth round on Thursday, 28 November. The Cheese Farmers enter this game after a much-awaited Eredivisie victory against Sparta Rotterdam while Galatasaray have also maintained winning momentum in all competitions.
AZ Alkmaar vs Galatasaray: Match Preview
After a terrible streak of six winless games in Eredivisie, AZ Alkmaar finally returned to their winning ways with a 1-2 victory over Sparta Rotterdam. However, a total of six victories and two draws in 13 rounds have still kept them in the sixth position in the standings. The Cheese Farmers have registered two victories in the starting four rounds of Europa League, beating Fenerbahce in the previous fixture by 3-1. Alkmaar’s struggles continue at AFAS Stadion in the domestic league but they have secured the maximum six points in Europa League playing at home.
Galatasaray have produced a brilliant spell with consecutive seven victories, including two Europa League wins against Elfsborg and Tottenham. The away form has also been great with four victories in the previous five visits, concluding a Europa League draw against RFS in the other. Galatasaray have enjoyed a favorable start to their European campaign with three wins and a draw in four rounds, standing in the third position.
AZ Alkmaar vs Galatasaray: Head-to-Head Record
AZ Alkmaar and Galatasaray will be facing each other for the first time in history. The Cheese Farmers have encountered Turkish sides seven times and earned a decent record of four wins and three draws. Meanwhile, Galatasaray have played against only the Dutch side, PSV Eindhoven eight times, winning twice and losing six.
AZ Alkmaar vs Galatasaray: Team News and Predicted Lineups
AZ Alkmaar’s preparation is affected by the injury-related absence of Ibrahim Sadiq, Sem Westerveld, Kristijan Belic, and goalkeeper Owusu Oduro. On the other hand, Mauro Icardi and Ismail Jakobs will be unavailable for Galatasaray this Thursday.
AZ Alkmaar Predicted Lineup
Zoet (GK); Wolfe, Penetra, Goes, Kasius; Kwakman, Koopmeiners; Meerdink, Mijnans, Smit; Parrott
Galatasaray Predicted Lineup
Muslera (GK); Yilmaz, Sanchez, Bardakci, Kutlu; Torreira, Sara; Sallai, Mertens, Akgun; Osimhen
AZ Alkmaar vs Galatasaray: Match Prediction
Regardless of their recent inconsistency, AZ Alkmaar remains a formidable challenge for Galatasaray. The Cheese Farmers draw confidence from the previous Europa League victory as they arrested their losing sequence against Turkish club Fenerbahce. On the other hand, the only away fixture of Galatasaray in the European campaign saw them dropping two points by 1-1 against RFS. Therefore, we predict a close affair here, most likely ending with an equal score.
AZ Alkmaar vs Galatasaray Predicted Result: 2-2 draw
