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Recommended bets
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Match preview
Having recored a shock victory in Rome last Tuesday evening, AZ Alkmaar are in pole position to pull off an upset.
In the first leg, as many may have predicted, it was Lazio who struck first, with the masked man Pedro firing home Mattia Zaccagni’s cross.
However, Vangelis Pavlidis then silenced Stadio Olimpico in first half stoppage time, impudently poking in Jesper Karlsson’s cut-back from an acute angle.
AZ then completed the comeback on the hour mark; Miloš Kerkez won the ball back in midfield, played a neat one-two with Karlsson, before slotting it through Luís Maximiano’s legs.
2-1 it finished to the Dutch side, so can they make that slender advantage count back in the Netherlands?
The Cheeseheads are aiming to reach the quarter-finals of a UEFA competition for the first time in nine years, having been dumped out by Bodø/Glimt in this round 12 months ago.
In fact, AZ are unbeaten in 24 European home matches, dating back to 2017, and they’ve never tasted defeat against Italian opposition in Alkmaar.
So, a daunting prospect for Lazio, as they seek to repeat the feat of their fierce rivals Roma by winning this trophy.
Maurizio Sarri’s side are third in Serie A, losing just one of their last ten league matches, ahead of Sunday’s Derby della Capitale.
However, in Europe, I Biancocelesti have won just three of nine outings this season, failing to win all four on the road.
So, the AZ supporters will be confident about their team’s chances at AFAS Stadion.
AZ Alkmaar team news
Star midfielder Dani de Wit as well as centre-backs Bruno Martins Indi and Sam Beukema are all out injured.
In de Wit’s absence, Đorđe Mihailović, who arrived from CF Montréal in January, will be hoping to return as the number ten.
Another winter singing Mat Ryan has immediately established himself as the number one goalkeeper, joining from FC København.
Vangelis Pavlidis is AZ’s main man for goals, with six of his 18 this season coming in the Europa Conference League.
Lazio team news
Ivan Provedel is the regular number one, but Luís Maximiano will continue to get the nod in goal in Europe.
At the other end of the field, club-record scorer Ciro Immobile is currently nursing a thigh injury, which is a major blow their hopes of a comeback.
AZ Alkmaar vs Lazio: Head to head statistics
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