Celtic vs AZ Alkmaar Prediction & Betting Tips - Europa League

Prediction published on 14/08/2020, 23:06  by Nella Wagah | Modified on 15/08/2021 at 23:08 in Europa League Predictions

Celtic continued with their fine run with a win over Hearts and will feel confident enough to welcome Dutch side AZ Alkmaar in the Europa League play-offs as they go in search of a place at the group stage. The Scots stuttered at the start but have been in explosive form since finding their footing. Going into this game, they have four straight wins and in each of them, they’ve scored three or more goals but they have just two clean sheets in five matches. In their last five matches, Celtic have scored 17 goals and conceded six. Kyogo Furuhashi has scored five goals in the last five matches and will be a man in focus here but the hosts have to check their defensive discipline. They’ve conceded twice in three of the last five matches, which should concern them, especially seeing that four of the six goals have come in the second half, and three within the final five minutes.

AZ Alkmaar, on the other hand, started their season on a losing note, falling 1-0 to RKC Waalwijk and will hope they get their first win here. They came from a strong preseason, with four straight wins, however the tempo changes when competitive action starts, as they discovered at Waalwijk. AZ aren’t also the strongest side when playing away from home; they have no win in four and have two straight away losses. They’ve failed to score in three of the last four away matches and have just one clean sheet in their last five away games. In 10 away games, AZ have scored two or more goals in two games but they’ve conceded more than one in just two as well.