West Ham is largely out of the Premier League relegation battle, allowing David Moyes to focus his full attention on reaching a European final as the Hammers travel to the Netherlands to take on AZ Alkmaar.
The English club holds a 2-1 aggregate lead after winning at home in the first leg, finding victory in comeback fashion as they turned around a 1-0 halftime deficit.
However, a 2-0 defeat over the weekend to Brentford will sow doubts in supporters’ minds. With most key starters rested, West Ham was pummeled, and out-shot 24-4 by the Bees, underlining the fragility of the Hammers’ squad.
AZ, meanwhile, have been excellent domestically of late, clobbering relegation-threatened Emmen 5-1 over the weekend.
Let’s get weird. With a Europa Conference League final spot on the line and both teams in relatively good attacking form overall, this match could provide fireworks.
AZ won’t be shut out twice, especially not by this mediocre defensive West Ham side, and the Hammers will be forced to respond. This could be a really fun 90 minutes of European football.
| AZ win |
Draw | West Ham win |
Both teams to score Y / N |
Over / Under 2.5 goals |
AZ advance |
WHU advance |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BetMGM (USA) |
+155 | +240 | +160 | -140 / +100 | -120 / -120 | +220 | -300 |
| Sports Interaction (Canada) |
+154 | +236 | +165 | -156 / +100 | -114 / -111 | +222 | -337 |
| SkyBet (UK) |
6/4 | 5/2 | 17/10 | 4/6, 11/10 | 5/6, 5/6 | 12/5 | 3/10 |
| Neds (Australia) |
2.50 | 3.20 | 2.63 | 1.67 / 2.10 | 1.87 / 1.87 | 3.40 | 1.30 |
| Dafabet (India) |
2.55 | 3.35 | 2.64 | 1.69 / 2.08 | 1.87 / 1.87 | 3.15 | 1.32 |
Goals are expected in this match, and these two teams should oblige. West Ham were actually quite good defensively against AZ in the first leg at home, but they still conceded a first-half goal. That’s not surprising, as AZ have only been shut out twice in their 11 European matches this season, both on the road.
At home, the Dutch side should manage to breach the Hammers’ defensive setup, so the question now is will West Ham be able to find a third, or will they sit back on their lead and look to defend it throughout? An AZ goal should get them going, and after logging 2.97 xG in the first leg, they should be able to cobble together at least one of their own.
While Michail Antonio and Declan Rice are the most lauded players in the West Ham squad, Algeria international Said Benrahma is quietly having an excellent season in a creative role. While six goals and three assists in Premier League play don’t jump off the page, West Ham go as he goes.
Benrahma was excellent in the first leg against AZ, scoring from the spot, ripping off five shots from open play, winning eight of 12 ground duels, and collecting 0.57 xA as well. With Jarrod Bowen quieting through the second half of the season, Benrahma has stepped up to run the West Ham attack.
MORE: Watch Premier League matches live with Fubo in USA
| TV channel | Streaming | |
|---|---|---|
| USA | — | Paramount+ |
| Canada | — | DAZN |
| UK | BT Sport 1 | BT Sport |
| Australia | — | Stan Sport |
| New Zealand | — | — |
| India | — | — |
| Hong Kong | — | beIN Sports Connect |
| Malaysia | beIN Sports | beIN Sports Connect, sooka |
| Singapore | beIN Sports | beIN Sports Connect |
