Matchday 6 of the 2024/25 Europa League group stage between Ludogorets (Bulgaria) and AZ Alkmaar (Netherlands) will take place on December 12 at the Ludogorets Arena in Razgrad. Ludogorets vs. AZ Alkmaar: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Referee: Kristo Tohver (Estonia)
Matches – 7 (International matches, 2023/24–2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 42;
Average yellow cards per match – 6;
Red cards shown – 0;
Average fouls per match – 21;
Penalties – 43%.
Predicted lineups for Ludogorets vs. AZ Alkmaar
Ludogorets (4-3-1-2): Hendrik Bonmann – Son, Dinis Almeida, Edwin Kurtulush, Aslak Fonn Witry – Denny Gropper, Pedro Naressi, Deroy Duarte – Ivaylo Chochev – Ruan Cruz, Eric Markus.
AZ Alkmaar (4-3-3): Jeroen Zoet – David Moller Wolfe, Peer Koopmeiners, Alexandre Correia, Seiya Maikuma – Zico Burmester, Sven Mijnans, Jordy Clasie – Ruben van Bommel, Troy Parrott, Maikel Lahdo.
Each team has indicated the starting lineup from their previous match in this tournament.
Ludogorets
In the 5th round of the Europa League, the team drew with Lazio (0-0). The draw with the Romans extended the club's winless streak to five matches in this tournament (2 draws, 3 losses). Ahead of Matchday 6, Ludogorets occupies the 33rd place in the Europa League standings. They are 3 points behind the playoff spots.
- The club has scored only one goal in the current Europa League campaign – the lowest in the tournament.
- At least one team failed to score in 6 of Ludogorets' last 8 Europa League matches.
- The club has scored at least one goal in 7 of their last 9 home matches in this tournament.
AZ Alkmaar
In the last round of the Europa League, Maarten Martens' side drew with Galatasaray (1-1). This result ended AZ Alkmaar's streak of uncompromising matches in this tournament (3 wins, 4 losses). After five rounds, the Dutch club is in 19th place with 7 points, 3 points behind the top eight.
- The team has failed to keep a clean sheet in their last 9 Europa League matches.
- AZ Alkmaar has lost their last 5 away matches in this tournament.
- At least one team failed to score in 8 of AZ Alkmaar's last 9 away games in the Europa League.
Ludogorets vs. AZ Alkmaar: Match Prediction
The Bulgarian club plays a very defensive style in the 2024/25 Europa League. Matches involving Ludogorets in the group stage average 1.4 goals per game. Igor Jovicevic's team focuses on defense, which sometimes pays off. Their careful defensive play against strong opponents like Lazio (0-0) and Viktoria Plzen (0-0) has earned the Bulgarian team points.
Matches involving the Dutch club also rarely turn into high-scoring affairs – no more than three goals have been scored in 9 of the team's last 11 Europa League matches. During this period, AZ Alkmaar faced opponents with an attacking style, but those games were also low-scoring – 0-1 against Tottenham and 1-1 against Galatasaray.
I believe both teams will play cautiously in the upcoming match, and it will not be a high-scoring affair. My prediction: Total under 3 goals
