Matchday 5 of the 2024/25 Europa League group stage will feature AZ Alkmaar (Netherlands) against Galatasaray (Turkey) on November 28 at the AFAS Stadium. AZ Alkmaar vs. Galatasaray: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Referee: Horatiu Fesnik (Romania)
Matches – 5 (International matches, 2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 22;
Average yellow cards per match – 4.4;
Red cards shown – 1;
Average fouls per match – 31;
Penalties – 60%.
Predicted lineups for AZ Alkmaar vs. Galatasaray
AZ Alkmaar (4-3-3): Rome-Jayden Owusu-Oduro – Seiya Maikuma, Alexandre Penetra, Maxim Dekker, Mis de Wit – Dave Kwakman, Sven Mijnans, Peer Koopmeiners – Myron Lahdo, Troy Parrott, Jayden Addai.
Galatasaray (3-4-3): Fernando Muslera – Abdülkerim Bardakcı, Davinson Sánchez, Kaan Ayhan – Yunus Akgün, Gabriel Sara, Lucas Torreira, Barış Yılmaz – Dries Mertens, Victor Osimhen, Mauro Icardi.
Each team's lineup reflects their previous match in this tournament.
AZ Alkmaar
After two consecutive goalless defeats in the Europa League, AZ Alkmaar secured a 3-1 victory over Fenerbahçe in the last round. This win marked AZ Alkmaar's second in the group stage (2 losses) and moved them from 24th to 17th in the standings. However, the Dutch club has still not managed to keep a clean sheet in the second-tier European competition, conceding in eight consecutive matches. The team currently has a goal difference of 6:6 in the current tournament stage.
- The team's uncompromising run in the Europa League includes 7 matches (3 wins, 4 losses).
- AZ Alkmaar has remained unbeaten at home in this tournament for 14 matches, winning half of them.
- Both teams have scored in 7 of AZ Alkmaar's last 8 home matches in the Europa League.
Galatasaray
The Istanbul side remains unbeaten in the group stage of the Europa League (3 wins, 1 draw), having defeated Tottenham 3-2 in the previous match, securing their second consecutive victory in this tournament. Notably, Galatasaray is among the eight clubs yet to lose in the current season's group stage. Additionally, Okan Buruk's team is the second most prolific side in the group stage with 12 goals, only behind Ajax (13). In the Europa League standings, the Turkish club is in 3rd place, trailing the leader by 2 points.
- The team has scored at least twice in all matches of the current Europa League group stage.
- Both teams have scored in Galatasaray's last 7 matches in the second-tier European competition.
- On the road, the club has failed to win in 6 of their last 7 Europa League matches (5 draws, 1 loss).
AZ Alkmaar vs. Galatasaray: Match Prediction
The hosts will once again welcome visitors from Turkey. The previous match against a representative from this country, Fenerbahçe, was successful for AZ Alkmaar, earning them 3 points. However, the match was evenly contested, and the Dutch side was just a bit luckier. I don't think the upcoming match will be any easier for the Dutch club. On the contrary, I believe the unbeaten Galatasaray in the group stage can pose more challenges than Fenerbahçe.
On the other hand, the Turkish side hasn't been flawless in away matches in the second-tier European tournament, securing victory in only 1 of their last 7 encounters. Therefore, I won't delve into the outcome of the upcoming match but instead consider the total goals as a betting option. Both teams play an attacking style and excel at scoring goals, but they rarely keep clean sheets. In the current Europa League group stage, neither AZ Alkmaar nor Galatasaray has managed to keep a clean sheet. Moreover, the hosts have conceded in eight consecutive Europa League matches, while the visitors have retrieved the ball from their net in their last seven tournament games.
I believe that this time, the opponents will not leave the field without conceding, given the goal-scoring potential of both teams. Therefore, my prediction: Both teams to score – yes
