Manchester United v AZ Alkmaar Betting Tips [12 December 2019]
Football - Europa League
12 December 2019 15:00
The match
Both Manchester United and AZ Alkmaar have made it to the round of 16 as they have opened an unassailable lead over FK Partizan and FC Astana. United are presently one point ahead of Alkmaar and the Thursday match is to determine who among the two sides tops the group.
The Red Devils beat cross town neighbours Manchester City in a league match last weekend a victory that saw them climb one position up the table standings to fifth. This was the second victory for United in a row after they took down Tottenham 2-1 in an earlier Premiership game.
In the Europa League, United fell 2-1 at Astana where the hosts came from one goal down to carry the day supported by a Di'Shon Bernard own goal. Jess Lingard had scored for United in the tenth minute, but Dmitriy Shomko leveled in the first ten minutes of the second half. Earlier, Manchester had beaten Partizan 3-0, with Greenwood, Martial and Rashford each scoring a goal.
At home, United have played two Europa League games this season, winning both - first a 1-0 defeat of Astana followed the 3-0 beating of Partizan.
Visitors Alkmaar are second in the Dutch Eredivisie after 16 games. The team won 3-0 at PEC Zwolle for their third victory in four games across all competitions. In the match, the goals came from Boadu and Idrissi, the latter scoring a brace.
In the European games, Alkmaar have won twice and settled for a draw in three games. Alkmaar are actually the only team that has not lost a match in the group. The team has been impressive on the road this campaign winning three times and settling for draws twice in five Europa League games since August. The team's last away game ended in an impressive victory as they beat Astana 5-0 at the Astana Stadium thanks to goals by Boadu, who netted a brace, Idrissi, Midtsjo and Hatzidiakos.
Fans from both sides will be hoping for a more thrilling game this time round after the two sides settled for a goalless draw in Holland.
Key Statistics
- United have won both of their Europa League group games at home.
- United and Alkmaar settled for a goalless draw in the opening leg.
- Alkmaar have won three times in five Europa League games on the road, two of which ended in draws.
- United sit at the top of Group L, while Alkmaar are second.
- Both teams are through to the next round of the tournament.
The bet of our experts
The two sides have already progressed to the knock out stage making this a relatively relaxed game for both. We expect both teams to field fringe players as a way of giving them the exposure needed to compete at this level. However, United have a home advantage and we expect them to utilise it fully as they gun for a clear win.
