The Daily Star Ireland
Ludogorets has faced challenges in this season’s Europa League, currently sitting in 33rd place, just three points away from the 24th position, which would secure a spot in the play-offs. Although their qualification is still possible, they need to improve their performances.
The Bulgarian side has struggled in several key matches, losing to Slavia Prague, Anderlecht, and Bilbao. However, they did manage respectable draws against Plzen and Lazio. Domestically, Ludogorets remains dominant, having won their last 13 championships and leading the league by a solid seven points. They remain unbeaten this season in their domestic league, with 15 wins and two draws, and hosted Botev Plovdiv recently.
In contrast, AZ Alkmaar is currently ranked 19th in the Europa League, just two points ahead of the 25th place, which is out of the play-offs, and three points behind the 8th place, which qualifies for the next round. The Dutch team has been inconsistent in their performances, winning at home against Elfsborg and Fenerbahce but losing to Bilbao and Tottenham.
They were also held to a 1-1 draw at home by Galatasaray. In their domestic league, Alkmaar has fallen off the title race, and after a rough patch with one draw and five defeats, they managed to get back on track with two wins over Sparta Rotterdam and Heracles.
Ludogorets is missing key players like captain Nedyalkov and long-term absentee Tekpetey, along with suspended striker Caio Vidal. However, they have the return of Rick, who has contributed 3 goals and 4 assists in the league, and top scorers Rwan Seco and Erick Marcus. Playmaker Chochev, who has 4 goals and 3 assists, could also play a vital role.
AZ Alkmaar, on the other hand, is missing goalkeeper Owusu-Oduro, forward Sadiq (with 4 goals and 3 assists in the Eredivisie), and several other players due to injuries. Youngster Smit is also suspended. However, Irish international Parrott, who has 7 goals in the Eredivisie, will be a key player for Alkmaar, supported by winger Van Bommel and midfielders Mijnans and Meerdink.
Prediction
Both teams have struggled with scoring in recent Europa League matches, with clean sheets being common for one of the teams in 14 of their last 19 away games. Ludogorets has also had similar issues at home, with only two of their last nine matches seeing both teams score. Based on these patterns, a repeat of this trend seems likely in this matchup.
Prediction: Ludogorets 3 : 0 AZ Alkmaar
