As the first half came to a close, AZ Alkmaar seemed to be in control after Tijani Reijnders’ long-range goal placed the visitors in front of a dejected West Ham team in the 41st minute. Said Benrahma’s successful penalty attempt restored parity for the Hammers in the last 25 minutes, but Michail Antonio’s goal in the 75th minute sent the Dutch team home with a defeat in the first leg.
However, AZ is still very much in the game, and manager Pascal Jansen will make sure to remind his team of their quarterfinal victory over Anderlecht last month in which they overcame a 2-0 first-leg loss to tie on aggregate before winning 4-1 on penalties in front of their home fans.
Sam Beukema (2), Sven Mijnans, Myron van Brederode, and Jordy Clasie all scored in a first-half onslaught to help the Cheeseheads move above Ajax into third place with two games left in the Eredivisie season. Jansen’s team quickly forgot about their defeat in the English capital.
AZ has a remarkable unblemished home record in European play, winning all eight of their games at home in the Europa Conference League this season by an aggregate score of 25-5 while drawing only eight of their past 25 matches overall, including qualifiers, in Alkmaar.
AZ Alkmaar will fight hard for this fixture
The Dutch team, aiming to reach their first European final in 42 years, has a strong home record against English opposition, having lost only one of their previous eight encounters. However, they suffered that defeat in 2007-08 against an Everton squad led by current West Ham manager David Moyes.
Following a valiant comeback victory against AZ in last week’s opening leg of their Europa League semifinal series, West Ham are in strong position to go to their first European final since 1976, twelve months after losing to eventual champion Eintracht Frankfurt in that match.
The Hammers are establishing a reputation as masters of the comeback, having triumphed in four ECL games after giving up the first goal—beating FCSB, Silkeborg, Gent, and now AZ—and they are the only side with a 13-game winning streak overall.
West Ham needs just a draw on Thursday to advance to next month’s final, but their road form is sure to worry David Moyes as his team has lost six of their last 10 matches on the road in all tournaments, such as each of their last three. West Ham has advanced from all nine of their previous European knockout matches when winning the first leg.
The Hammers’ most recent defeat on the road came at Brentford on Sunday, where they lost 2-0 in the Premier League. Goals in the first half from Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa condemned Moyes’ heavily rotated team to their 19th defeat in the top division of the season.
David Moyes’ tactics must act as a catalyst in this fixture
Unlike AZ, West Ham has had a bad domestic season and has been stuck at the bottom of the standings for a while. With only two games left, the East Londoners are six points clear of the relegation zone and can now essentially focus on their European campaign knowing that they will be playing in the Premier League next season.
The burden of breaking the team’s 43-year trophy drought and winning his first title as a manager still falls on David Moyes, and success there might perhaps preserve his job as the manager of the Hammers.
Team News- West Ham United
Due to calf and sickness difficulties, Antonio and Angelo Ogbonna missed the loss at Brentford, but they should be able to join the matchday squad on Thursday. The former is still in the running for the Golden Boot after scoring six ECL goals in seven games.
Vladimir Coufal has resumed light training after being sidelined with a hamstring injury, but it is uncertain if he will play against Alkmaar. Ben Johnson or Thilo Kehrer are thus expected to start as right-back. Meanwhile, Gianluca Scamacca is currently recuperating from knee surgery.
Benrahma, Declan Rice, Jarrod Bowen, Lucas Paqueta, and Kurt Zouma were all rested in Moyes’ nine-change lineup from the team that fell to Brentford on Sunday. These players are all anticipated to be reinstated to the starting lineup.
Although Alphonse Areola may have contributed to AZ’s first goal in the first leg, the Frenchman has been West Ham’s cup custodian all season and will take Lukasz Fabianski’s place in goal on Thursday.
Team News- AZ Alkmaar
AZ Alkmaar’s Sem Westerveld and former Stoke City player Bruno Martins Indi remain sidelined with knee and hip injuries, respectively. After Dani de Wit and Jesper Karlsson recovered from their injuries, they made appearances as substitutes against Emmen and are anticipated to participate in Thursday’s match.
Following a weekend domestic ban, Pantelis Hatzidiakos has become eligible and is scheduled to replace the 18-year-old Wouter Goes as a starter. With Mijnans playing as the number 10 and Reijnders and Clasie remaining in center-midfield, leading scorer Vangelis Pavlidis, who has five ECL goals in six games, is likely to lead the line.
Prediction
AZ Alkmaar 1-2 West Ham United
Date- 18th May, 2023
Time- 7pm GMT
Venue- AFAS Stadion
