Dundee United vs AZ
4 August 1945hrs
Football – Europe – Europa Conference League
Pick AZ
Bookmaker William Hill
Odds: 8/13 odds taken 2000 GMT, Monday 1 August
The Scottish Premiership plays host to the Eredivisie on Thursday, as Dundee United face AZ in the first leg of the third qualification round for this year’s Europa Conference League.
Table of Contents
Dundee United Preview – Can Dundee United mark their return to European football with a victory?
It is a decade since Dundee United played a European game. That match was back in 2012 when they lost out to Dinamo Moscow in the third round of qualification for the Europa League. It was a 7-2 aggregate defeat on that occasion so they have had to wait a while to try and make amends for that exit. A lot has changed at Tannadice in the years between those games, most notably a prolonged spell in the second tier of Scottish football and a number of new managers come and go as a result.
To the club’s credit in recent times, United were only promoted back to the top-flight in 2020 so to finish fourth in their second campaign in the Premiership is an indication things are moving in the right direction.
AZ Preview – Will AZ have enough to live up to their tag as favourites and take a lead back home with them?
This is the second straight season that AZ have been drawn against Scottish opposition. Last year they faced Celtic in the third round of qualifying, only in the Europa League. In that was a very closely contested match, AZ ended up being knocked out 3-2 on aggregate, dropping into the Conference League as a result.
It was something they took full advantage of, however, going all the way to the last-16 – eventually losing to the surprise package in Europe last season, Bodo/Glimt.
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AZ reached this round following a convincing 5-0 aggregate win over Bosnian team Tulza City in the second round of qualifying. Pascal Jensen will be happy that there was considerable improvement from the first leg to the second leg, as well, which should put them in good stead for this game, and for the start of their domestic season which gets going on Sunday when they host Go Ahead Eagles.
There is no shortage of exciting attacking talent in this group. Vangelis Pavlidis hit 25 in all competitions last season whilst Jesper Karlsson 21. Both are still at the club despite rumours of them moving on. If they can keep hold of them for another season the goals should continue to flow.
Dundee United vs AZ Betting Advice
The draw for the playoff round has been made for the Conference League. The winners know they will go on to face either Riga from Latvia, or Gil Vicente from Portugal. It is certainly a winnable tie for whoever prevails here but they have to negotiate this tie first of all.
AZ are the undoubted favourites. Not just because of their greater quality and the options they have in attack, but they have the advantage of European experience which counts for so much.
Key Facts – Dundee United vs AZ Betting Tip
- This is Dundee United’s first European campaign since 2013 (lost to Dinamo Moscow in Europa League qualification)
- AZ made it to the last-16 of this competition in the previous campaign, losing out to Bodo/Glimt
- The winners of this tie will face either Riga (Latvia) or Gil Vicente (Portugal) in the playoff round
Tannadice will no doubt be packed for this game and Jack Ross will set up his team to be hard to beat. The inexperience may just be their undoing, however, and despite being odds against, AZ still appear a level above.
Best Betting Odds for Dundee United vs AZ
