AZ Alkmaar vs Juventus Betting Tips & Preview

Juventus to win

Juventus are the pick to get the job done against AZ Alkmaar in this Europa League fixture, and the case for it is built mainly on the gulf in quality that's still visible even with both sides going through a rocky patch. The Italians have shown in recent weeks they can beat good opposition, having seen off Napoli just days before this one, while AZ have lost their last two outings and look to be heading into this fixture short on confidence. Our model puts Juventus' win probability at 38.4%, which isn't overwhelming in isolation, but it's still comfortably the most likely single outcome when you weigh up the alternatives of a draw or an AZ win, and that's really the whole basis of the selection. The 2.00 on offer is simply the price attached to that outcome, not the reason for picking it.

Recent Form

AZ Alkmaar's form over their last five matches reads as patchy at best. They beat Hapoel Be'er Sheva and Ararat-Armenia, drew with SC Cambuur, then lost back-to-back games against FC Twente and Ajax to close out October. That's two defeats in their last two outings heading into this match, and against a side like Juventus that trend will be a concern for the Dutch club's travelling support.

Juventus haven't exactly been flawless either, but there are signs of life in their recent results. They lost to Lazio and were held by Rennes, then lost again to Genoa sandwiched between a win over Lecce. Crucially, though, they responded with a win over Napoli in their most recent outing, suggesting they can still turn up and deliver when it matters, even amid an inconsistent run.

Head-to-Head

There's nothing to go on here. Our records show no previous meetings between AZ Alkmaar and Juventus, so this looks to be either a first-ever encounter between the two clubs or one where the history simply isn't captured in the data available to us. Either way, there's no head-to-head trend to lean on for this preview, and the pick is made purely on current form and squad depth.

Team News

AZ Alkmaar will be without five players as things stand. Kees Smit, Jeroen Zoet and Jizz Hornkamp are all out with unspecified injuries, Hobie Verhulst is unavailable through an eligibility issue, and Stije Resink remains sidelined with a long-term cruciate ligament problem dating back to March. That's a fairly significant list for a club already wobbling in form.

Juventus have their own injury concerns to contend with, and theirs is arguably the longer list. Kenan Yıldız, Nico González, Manuel Locatelli, Francisco Conceição, Zeki Çelik, Weston McKennie, Arkadiusz Milik and Kamil Grabara are all currently sidelined with a mix of broken bones, muscle problems and more serious issues like Grabara's cruciate ligament tear. Eight absentees is a substantial number for any squad to absorb, and it does mean Juventus won't be able to field their strongest possible XI here, even if the overall talent remaining still gives them the edge over their hosts.