AZ Alkmaar vs Galatasaray Full Match UEL 2024-25 • fullmatch

AZ Alkmaar vs Galatasaray Full Match UEL 2024-25.

AZ Alkmaar vs Galatasaray Full Match Highlights UEL — AZ Alkmaar vs Galatasaray Full Match UEL 2024-25

AZ Alkmaar vs Galatasaray Full Match Replay UEL.
Full Match & Highlights Europa League 2024-2025

Full Match Highlights – Full Match Replay
English Commentary
November 28, 2024

Winning their first Eredivisie game in seven attempts last weekend (D1, L5), it’s fair to say it’s been a disappointing domestic campaign so far for AZ Alkmaar. The UEFA Europa League (UEL) has at least provided some relief for AZ and under-fire head coach Maarten Martens, who will now try to help the club qualify for the UEL knockouts for the first time since the 2019/20 campaign.

With two victories from two at the AFAS Stadion in UEL action, their home form in the competition is keeping hopes of progression alive. Alkmaar subsequently occupy a mid-table spot at the halfway mark in the league phase (W2, L2), with their efforts enough to warrant a play-off place as things stand. Sat three points below the automatic last-16 spots pre-round, they now have the opportunity to win three successive UEL main-draw home games for the first time since March 2012.

Opponents Galatasaray occupy third spot in the league phase table pre-round as one of five teams to have taken exactly ten points from their opening four games (W3, D1). Sat top of the Turkish Süper Lig, Okan Buruk’s side are flying on all fronts and enter this game unbeaten in 14 matches across all competitions (W12, D2) having won each of their most recent seven.

Buruk won Europe’s second tier competition with the Turkish giants as a player back in 2000, and will harbour hopes of repeating the feat as their head coach. Victory here could fire them to the top of the table, and would create a small piece of history in itself with the club having never beaten a Dutch opponent away in Europe (L4), although the only Dutch side they’ve ever faced before are PSV.

Key battle: Veteran goalkeeper Jeroen Zoet is set to make his UEL debut for AZ, although that may not be a blessing as he has kept just two clean sheets in 12 previous appearances in the competition’s proper rounds. Trying to score against him for the third time in his career, Dries Mertens already has six goals to his name against Alkmaar.

Hot stat: AZ Alkmaar have never lost a H2H against a Turkish opponent (W4, D3), beating Fenerbahçe in their last UEL game.