All teams in Group E in the Europa Conference League are level on points when AZ and Aston Villa square off at the AFAS stadium on Thursday.
However, Pascal Jansen’s side are better off than Villa on account of scoring more goals. Both AZ and the Lions picked up victories against Legia Warsaw and Zrinjski Mostar in their previous group, respectively.
AZ will be looking for their fifth straight win after a 3-0 league win over Heerenveen, while Unai Emery’s men defeated West Ham 4-1 in Sunday’s Premier League game at Villa Park.
| Date: | October 26, 2023 |
| Kick-off time: | 5:45 pm BST |
| Venue: | AFAS Stadion |
The UEFA Europa Conference League match between AZ Alkmaar and Aston Villa will be played at the AFAS stadium in Alkmaar, Netherlands.
It will kick off at 5:45 pm BST on October 26 in the United Kingdom (UK).
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TNT Sports 2 | Watch here |
The game will be broadcast live on TV on TNT Sports 2 and is available to stream online live through Discovery+.
On account of his sending off in AZ’s previous Conference League game, Mayckel Lahdo is suspended and Tiago Dantas is likely to start instead.
With 13 Eredivisie goals to his name this season, Greek forward Vangelis Pavlidis should lead the front line.
Mees de Wit and Sem Westerveld are ruled out through injuries.
AZ possible XI: Ryan; Sugawara, Bazoer, Penetra, Wolfe; Clasie, Mijnans, D. De Wit; Dantas, Pavlidis, Van Brederode
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers: | Ryan, Verhulst, Owusu-Oduro |
| Defenders: | Penetra, Indi, Goes, Dekker, Wolfe, Sugawara, Kasius |
| Midfielders: | Clasir, Bazoer, Dantas, Schouten, Mijnans, D. De Wit, Mihailovic, Goudmijn |
| Forwards: | Pavlidis, Meerdink, Poku, Van Brederode, Van Bommel, Odgaard, Sadiq |
It is unclear whether long-term injury absentees Tyrone Mings and Emiliano Buendia will return for the last quarter of the season.
Meanwhile, Jacob Ramsey and Alex Moreno are also ruled out for Thursday’s game.
Aston Villa possible XI: Martinez; Konsa, Carlos, Torres, Digne; Cash, Kamara, Luiz, McGinn; Diaby, Watkins
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers: | Martinez, Olsen |
| Defenders: | Torres, Konsa, Carlos, Lenglet, Hause, Digne, Cash, Chambers |
| Midfielders: | Kamara, Dendoncker, Luiz, McGinn, Tielemans, Iroegbunam, Zaniolo, Bailey, Diaby, Traore |
| Forwards: | Watkins, Duran |
This will be first time AZ Alkmaar and Aston Villa will face each other across all competitions.
