AZ Alkmaar vs SK Brann Prediction & Betting Tips - Conference League

Prediction published on 22/08/2023, 09:10  by Devesh Jaganath | Modified on 24/08/2023 at 06:45 in Conference League Prediction

AZ Alkmaar take on Brann in the playoff round of the Europa Conference League qualifiers. The first leg will be played on Thursday evening at AFAS Stadion. The winner of this two-legged tie will feature in the 2023-24 Conference League main draw. The hosts come into this match off the back of a 3-1 win over RKC Waalwijk in the Eredivisie last weekend. That was their second league win of the season and took them to the top of the league in the very early stages. That win was also their fourth consecutive victory in competitive matches this season. In the preseason, AZ were unbeaten, meaning they have not tasted defeat in their last ten matches in all competitions. The hosts overcame Santa Coloma in the last round. They won both legs of the tie and did not concede in either match. AZ reached the semi-final of this competition last season, where they were beaten by the eventual winners West Ham United 3-1 on aggregate. Having made a very good start to the season, AZ are not just the clear favourite to win this match but are also heavily backed to qualify for the group stages. 

Meanwhile, Brann’s incredible journey continued as they overcame Arouca in the last round to keep their Conference League dreams alive. The visitors earned promotion back to the Eliteserien last season by winning the Norwegian First Division in 2021-22. They were head and shoulders better than the rest, beating second-placed Stabaek by 23 points in their 30 matches. Over the course of the First Division season, Brann lost only one match while winning 26 and drawing three. They capped off an excellent season with a Norwegian Cup win, which earned them entry into this competition. In the last round, Brann ended the first leg 2-1 down. However, they came back incredibly with three goals in the first half of the home leg to win the tie 4-3 on aggregate. Over the weekend, the visitors earned a 5-1 win over Aalesund, which saw them maintain fifth place in the league standings. They are now on 34 points and just five points behind the top three sides. Brann are 6/1 underdogs in this match and 3/1 to qualify in prematch betting.