West Ham vs AZ Alkmaar - Europa Conference League: TV channel, team news, lineups & prediction
West Ham's Europa Conference League adventure continues on Thursday night when AZ Alkmaar travel to the capital for the first leg of their semi-final tie.
The Hammers will be confident that their Premier League status is now secured after beating Manchester United 1-0 on Sunday, which potentially will ease the pressure on David Moyes' team selection.
AZ are fourth in the Eredivisie and have aspirations of overtaking an underperforming Ajax side, with their attractive possession-based style of football drawing plenty of plaudits.
The game will be played out in front of a capacity 60,000 crowd at London Stadium, with both sides undoubtedly believing that they have the quality to book a place in the final in Prague.
Here's 90min's preview of the game.
Where are West Ham vs AZ Alkmaar playing?
- Location: London, England
- Stadium: London Stadium
- Date: Thursday 11 May
- Kick-off Time: 20:00 BST / 15:00 ET / 12:00 PT
- Referee: Halil Umut Mele (TUR)
- VAR: Paolo Valeri (ITA)
West Ham vs AZ Alkmaar H2H Results (Last Five Games)
The two clubs have never met in competitive competition.
Current Form (Last Five Games)
- West Ham: WLLLW
- AZ Alkmaar: LLWWW
How to watch West Ham vs AZ Alkmaar on TV and live stream?
Country | TV channel/live stream |
|---|---|
United Kingdom | BT Sport 1, BT Sport Ultimate |
United States | Paramount+ |
Canada | DAZN |
West Ham team news
David Moyes must decide whether or not to retain Alphonse Areola in goal ahead of Lukasz Fabianski, having fielded the Frenchman throughout the competition.
Kurt Zouma and Gianluca Scamacca are guaranteed absentees through injury, while doubts remain over the fitness of right-back Vladimir Coufal. Thilo Kehrer deputised against Manchester United, having played the majority of the season at centre-back, and did well to nullify the threat of Marcus Rashford.
Said Benrahma's impressive performance against the Red Devils should see him keep his place in the starting lineup, which is likely to again condemn Pablo Fornals to a place among the substitutes.
With West Ham's Premier League status secure barring a dramatic run of results in the dying embers of the season, it's hard to imagine Moyes not opting to play a full strength side.
West Ham predicted lineup vs AZ Alkmaar
West Ham predicted lineup (4-3-3): Areola; Kehrer, Aguerd, Ogbonna, Cresswell; Rice, Soucek, Paqueta; Bowen, Antonio, Benrahma.
What David Moyes had to say about AZ Alkmaar
"I think they are having an amazing season and we have a really tough opponent. Any Dutch team will be good. They play good football and are well-coached.
"I knew about how they are building the club. And they have a lot of exciting young players, and signing a lot of young players. It is a great model if it suits your club. Their young players are doing well and it looks like they are building for the future but they also have a good team right now."
Moyes on West Ham potentially reaching the final
"To get to a European final, it could be my best [achievement]. In the past I’ve got to a Champions League quarter-final with Manchester United, lost on penalties in the quarter-final of the Europa League with Everton and last year we reached a semi-final here at West Ham.
"I want to try and take it a couple of steps further, and I would refer back to the serial winner José Mourinho – who found winning this trophy so special for him and his football club. If ever I needed somebody to show how hard it was to win a trophy, and he treated it as if it was so important."
AZ Alkmaar team news
Jens Odgaard is doubtful for AZ after picking up a thigh injury in the first half of Sunday's Eredivisie clash with Ajax, and there's also concerns over the fitness of Jesper Karlsson.
Full-back Milos Kerkez is suspended so his place is likely to go to Mees de Wit.
AZ Alkmaar predicted lineup vs West Ham
AZ predicted lineup (4-3-3): Ryan; Sugawara, Beukema, Hatzidiakos, M. de Wit; Reijnders, Mijnans, Clasie; Lahdo, Pavlidis, Van Brederode.
West Ham vs AZ Alkmaar score prediction
West Ham's Europa Conference League form has been steady as a rock, despite their Premier League struggles.
The only blemish on the Hammers' winning record was away at Gent in the first leg of their quarter-final tie, but that was quickly forgotten when Michail Antonio (2), Lucas Paqueta and Declan Rice scored four times in the space of 26 minutes back at London Stadium.
AZ will be entirely proposition to the Belgians in terms of quality, though their styles may not differ too much. The Dutch side love keeping hold of possession, breaking down teams gradually, but do have the ability to break at blistering speed.