Lazio-AZ Alkmaar is a match in the first leg of the Conference League round of 16 and is played on Tuesday at 18:45: TV, line-ups, predictions.
There is a Dutch side on Lazio’s continental path again, having failed to qualify for the Europa League knockout stage last November when they lost by a narrow margin to Feyenoord on the final day of the group stage and finished third due to the worst goal difference.
An unexpected defeat that cost Maurizio Sarri’s men relegation to the Conference League, a competition that last season saw Roma triumph. The Biancocelesti will try to emulate their cousins: together with Villarreal and West Ham they are one of the main candidates for victory, even if in the play-off for access to the round of 16 they certainly did not enchant against the Romanians of Cluj, eliminated thanks to Immobile’s goal in the first leg played at the Olimpico. In Romania, on the other hand, Lazio only needed to contain Petrescu’s team (0-0) to snatch a pass to the next round, producing minimal effort. The next hurdle is Az Alkmaar: the first round will be staged again in the capital – Lazio are not in the top flight – but two days earlier than originally planned: Roma will also play Real Sociedad in the Europa League on Thursday at the Stadio Olimpico against the Basques, and Immobile and his team-mates will have to anticipate the match by taking part in a less important event.
No precedent with the Dutch
It will be crucial not to make any missteps in front of their home crowd, especially ahead of the return leg, where they will find a scorching atmosphere. Lazio came into the game on the back of an extraordinary feat at the ‘Maradona’: Vecino’s rocket decided the match against Napoli, with the Biancocelesti inflicting their first home defeat on the Azzurri, as well as breaking their long winning streak which had stretched back to the beginning of January.
Odgaard and Pavlidis celebrate a goal
A very short Lazio side, who finished with just over 30% ball possession – unusual for a Sarri team – clogging up every possible space where Spalletti’s players could get the ball through. The Neapolitan city also saw less than three goals in total, a constant in the last eight matches involving the Capitolini. Pascal Jansen’s side, who are still in the title race in the Eredivisie, are also experiencing a positive moment: Az are third in the standings behind Feyenoord and Ajax, -5 from the summit. Last weekend they beat Vitesse 1-0, their third win in four matches. Clasie and his team-mates had also been dominant in the Conference League group stage, winning their group ahead of Dnipro-1. There is no precedent with Lazio in the European cups, but the Alkmaar club have often crossed paths with Italian teams in the past, securing three wins in six matches.
Sarri will not have Immobile due to a hamstring problem: Felipe Anderson will take his place in the centre of the trident, surrounded by Pedro and Zaccagni. In defence there will be space for Gila: Casale is still not at his best. Specular module for Jansen, who will rely on three interesting elements in front with Odgaard, Pavlidis and Karlsson.
The prediction
Az Alkmaar are far from soft opponents. Despite remaining inferior to Lazio, the Dutch cannot be underestimated. Sarri’s team might feel a little fatigue due to the close schedule but they should prevail. Jansen’s men, then, will not be barricades. In general they tend to neglect the non-possession phase of the ball and defensively they are not very solid: it is not to be excluded that this time we could see a few more goals than in the last matches of the biancocelesti. The total number of goals could be between two and four.
Lazio v AZ Alkmaar likely line-up
- LAZIO (4-3-3): Maximiano; Lazzari, Gila, Patric, Marusic; Milinkovic-Savic, Cataldi, Luis Alberto; Pedro, Felipe Anderson, Zaccagni.
- AZ ALKMAAR (4-3-3): Ryan; Sugawara, Chatzidiakos, Goes, Kerkez; Clasie, Mijnans, Reijnders; Odgaard, Pavlidis, Karlsson.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 2-1
