Preview: AZ Alkmaar vs. FC Noah - prediction, team news, lineups

Trailing after last week’s defeat in Abovyan, AZ Alkmaar welcome FC Noah to the AZ Stadion on Thursday, aiming to avoid Conference League elimination in the knockout playoff stage.

The Eredivisie outfit are favourites to overturn the 1-0 deficit on home soil, but they will be wary of opponents chasing a maiden appearance in the last 16 of a European competition, having already made history by reaching this stage.

Match preview

After a slow start in Europe’s third-tier club competition, in which they lost two of their first three matches, AZ responded by keeping three consecutive clean sheets, securing seven points from a possible nine to finish 14th as one of the seeded teams in the playoffs.

That ending to the league phase seemed to suggest that the Cheese Farmers had got the hang of the competition, and they were backed for a narrow victory in last week’s trip to Armenia.

However, Leeroy Echteld’s team found no solutions despite having 70% of the ball in Abovyan and creating several presentable scoring chances in the second half, following a disappointing first-half showing.

Having responded with a 3-1 victory over Sparta Rotterdam on Sunday, extending their unbeaten Eredivisie run to three and their undefeated domestic spell to four, a similar outcome on Thursday will put the Alkmaar giants in the round of 16.

Still, Echteld’s team’s failure to keep clean sheets will worry the Cheese Farmers boss, whose side have not kept a shutout in six matches across all competitions, managing just two in their last 10 games.

That perceived weakness will please the travelling fans heading to Alkmaar this week, as the Armenian side bid to become the first from the country to advance to the last 16 of any European club competition.

Sandro Perkovic’s team have already become the first from the nation to progress to the current intermediate stage on the continent, but they could go one better by securing a positive outcome in Alkmaar.

The Armenian champions have been put in this position by Hovhannes Hambardzumyan’s 53rd-minute strike, and they held on despite their absence from competitive action since December.

That match was a 2-0 loss ‘away’ to Dynamo Kyiv a week before Christmas, a fixture played in Poland, and tune-up games prior to hosting AZ had been underwhelming, with Perkovic’s men losing two and drawing as many after a 1-0 victory over Lech on January 24.

However, backed by their supporters, the defending Armenian champions produced a resolute defensive performance to stun their Dutch opponents and claim a narrow advantage.

Knowing that a draw will suffice in Alkmaar, Noah — who were unbeaten in three overall away Conference League matches, including qualifying, before losing to Kyiv — now seek another positive result on Thursday to make further Armenian football history.

AZ Alkmaar Conference League form:

AZ Alkmaar form (all competitions):

FC Noah Conference League form:

FC Noah form (all competitions):

Team News

Wouter Goes, who went off after 33 minutes against Sparta at the weekend, was never available for selection on Thursday anyway, after being booked in last week’s defeat.

The young defender’s non-involvement adds to AZ’s few injury issues, with Jordy Clasie (ankle), Denso Kasius (ankle), Seiya Maikuma and Weslley Patati all likely absentees.

Having scored seven goals in qualification for the Conference League, Troy Parrott has not found the net in the competition proper, and the Cheese Farmers’ 13-goal man in the Eredivisie aims to be decisive this week.

Noah’s progress has mostly been down to Nardin Mulahusejnovic, whose five goals since the start of the league phase remain a competition high, even if veteran Hambardzumyan came up trumps a week ago.

Having gone off injured in the first leg, Gustavo Sangare and Nathanael Saintini are doubtful for the away side in Alkmaar.

AZ Alkmaar possible starting lineup:

Zoet; Dijkstra, Penetra, De Wit, Chavez; Boogaard, Koopmeiners, Smit; Jensen, Parrott, Daal

FC Noah possible starting lineup:

Ploshchadnyi; Hambardzumyan, Muradyan, Silva, Zolotic, Sualehe; Ferreira, Eteki, Oshima, Jakolis; Mulahusejnovic

We say: AZ Alkmaar 3-1 FC Noah (AZ win 3-2 on aggregate)

Noah are likely to sit deep and frustrate the hosts, potentially snatching a vital away goal on the counter-attack to keep the tie on a knife-edge.

However, the Cheese Farmers’ domestic momentum should see them eventually overpower their visitors, with Parrott due a huge performance in the competition proper after several below-par showings.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.