LASK Linz vs AZ Alkmaar Predictions

• LASK have dropped points in half of their home games this season.
• AZ have only lost 3 of their 11 away games domestically.
• Under 2.5 goals have been produced in 50% of LASK’s home games.
• AZ have kept clean sheets in 55% of their away games.

AZ have a good record on the road this season

A late penalty from Koopmeiners spared AZ’s blushes in the 1st leg at home to LASK after the Austrians had taken the lead through Raguz in the twenty-sixth minute but with the game ending 1-1 its advantage LASK heading into Thursday’s 2ng leg. The hosts head into this clash as the form favourites with five wins and a draw from their last six outings but LASK have dropped points in half of their home games and appear to perform much better on the road than they do in their own backyard.

AZ closed the gap on Ajax to just 3pts at the weekend and their away record suggests they are still in with a great chance of turning this tie in their favour and progressing through to the next round. AZ have won seven and drawn one of their eleven away games in the Eredivisie while LASK have lost two and drawn three of their ten domestic home games, so you can see why we have backed the Dutch visitors with a double chance bet.

LASk average 1.80 points per home game while AZ average 2.00 points per away game, adding further weight to our prediction for AZ to avoid defeat on Thursday. The visitors score an average of 1.82 goals per away game and only concede 0.82 goals while LASK concede an average of 1.40 goals per home game, which is why we have predicted a final scoreline of 1-0 in favour of AZ.

LASK have performed much better away from home than they have in their own backyard

Only 50% of LASK’s home games have seen both teams score and the same percentage have produced under 2.5 goals while both teams have scored in just 27% of AZ’s away games which backs up our prediction for a 1-0 away win. LASK have failed to score in 20% of their home games and have kept clean sheets in 30%, while AZ have only failed to score in 18% of their away games and have kept clean sheets in an impressive 55%.

Exactly 1-goal has been scored in 20% of the hosts’ home matches as well as in 9% of AZ’s away games, and the hosts have won via a 1-goal margin four times so far this season. We have gone with a double chance bet rather than backing an outright win for AZ this Thursday because there wasn’t much between the two sides last week and the hosts have drawn 30% of their home games this season, adn we will be expecting another tight and tense ninety minutes this Thursday.