Antwerp v AZ Betting Tip Under 2.5 goals – 29 August 2019

Tense night expected in Antwerp

Europa League Tips

BelgiumAntwerp v AZNetherlands
Thursday 29th August 1830hrs
Football – Europe –Europa League
Pick Under 2.5 goals
Bookmaker Marathon Bet
Odds: 43/50 (odds taken 21.00 GMT, Tuesday 27 August)

 

1 X 2
3/2 49/20 8/5

* (Betting Odds were taken from 22Bet on August 27, 2019 at 20.00)

There was nothing to split Antwerp and AZ in last week’s first leg playoff game, ending 1-1. The Belgians have the slight advantage of an away goal but there is still all to play for as they do battle once again tomorrow.

Europa League Playoff Betting at Marathon Bet

Antwerp Preview – Can Antwerp taking full advantage of a rare foray into Europe and reach the group stage?

Royal Antwerp’s biggest claim to fame in European football was finishing as runners up in the now defunct Cup Winner’s Cup back in 1992/93. The club have been in the wilderness pretty much since then but they have been on the up in recent years and are in a good position to reach the Europa League group stage for the first time in their history. Getting past Viktoria Plzen was no easy feat in the previous qualifying round, requiring extra-time away from home to progress. A goal six minutes from the end of extra time was the difference and seen them moving through to face another test in the shape of AZ. Head coach Lazlo Boloni would have been delighted with how his team performed in that first leg.

The only slight disappointment would have been that Antwerp were unable to hold out for the win – losing a goal in the last 10 minutes. Still, they are in a good position at the halfway point and will be hoping to make home advantage count. They have made a strong start to the campaign in respect to that, winning all three games thus far. In addition to the 1-0 win over Plzen they have also won both of their league games, winning 2-0 and 4-1 against Waasland-Beveren and Sint Truiden, respectively.

1-1 Correct Score

6/1

AZ Preview – Are AZ good enough to respond to disappointing first leg result and qualify?

Their opponents may not have much experience of playing European football but AZ are regular competitors in the Europa League. The Eredivise club have qualified for this competition every year since 2010 – making the group stage a number of times and getting to the knockout phase four times. They certainly have the credentials to overcome what was an underwhelming result in the first leg and will be confident they can. Due to a partial collapse of their stadium roof the first leg had to be played elsewhere, which meant they forfeited some of that home advantage. Their two away games in the the qualifiers have been something of a mixed bag having beaten Hacken 3-0 before a goalless draw in Ukraine against Mariupol.

In order to progress they are going to have to find a goal that cancels out the away strike the Belgians got. That is something that’s not always been easy for AZ who have failed to score in four of their last seven Europa League away games. They also failed to score in their most recent league game – a goalless draw against Groningen.

Key-Facts – Antwerp v AZ

  • Royal Antwerp are not regular participants in European competition but they have a good chance of making the group stages of the Europa League for the first ever time
  • AZ have plenty of recent experience of playing in the Europa League and reached the knockout phase as recently as 2017
  • This is new territory for Antwerp and it could well be a nervy night for the Belgians

Antwerp v AZ Betting Advice

There is also increased rivalry when Belgian and Dutch teams meet and that was evident from the first leg where there were seven bookings and one red card. The sending off of Antwerp’s defender Buta was crucial in allowing AZ to equalise just a few minutes later. The second leg is expected to be another war of attrition between two teams desperate to qualify for the group stages.
There was a lot of opportunities for both sides in that first leg but this game may well be more cagey considering the circumstances. AZ need an away goal and are still favourites to go through but their away record is inconsistent at best. This is new territory for Antwerp really and they have to show they are capable of handling the pressure. It’s likely they will be cautious with a lead of sorts to protect. The first leg ended with under 2.5 goals and I think that looks another solid bet in a game that could well required extra time or penalties to find a winner.