Manchester United vs AZ Alkmaar Predictions

• United and AZ will go head to head for top spot in Group L on Thursday.
• AZ have averaged 3.0 goals per game in Group L so far.
• The Dutch side failed to score against a weakened United team in October, however.
• United are unbeaten in nine matches at Old Trafford in all competitions.

Old Trafford showdown for first place

Fresh from successive and hugely significant Premier League wins over Tottenham Hotspur and local rivals City, Manchester United will be aiming to carry their domestic momentum into their European assignment against Dutch side AZ Alkmaar on Thursday. United have already secured their passage through to the next round of the Europa League, though top spot in Group L is still up for grabs, and AZ Alkmaar can still finish above their hosts if they can upset the odds at Old Trafford.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has used the Europa League largely as a squad rotation exercise thus far, and as a result, the team’s performances in the competition have been a little off-beat and lacking in cohesive football. United managed to score just six times in the five Group L matches they have negotiated so far and half of those were hit in one match against Partizan Belgrade last month.

By contrast, AZ have been cutting loose with regularity in the tournament, hitting the net 15 times in total across their five outings, though they failed to carve open a United side dusted with young and fringe players when the teams met in the Netherlands in October.

Solskjaer to field a much-changed XI?

It remains to be seen how many changes Solskjaer makes to his starting XI for Thursday’s game; but with top spot the prize for the victor, the Norwegian could choose to field some of his bigger names.

Mason Greenwood, Brandon Williams and Axel Tuanzebe should all get minutes, however, as should veteran midfielder Juan Mata, while Phil Jones could be handed a rare run out having started just four matches in three different competitions this season.

Even with a full complement of first-teamers available, United don’t look like keeping clean sheets at present. The Red Devils have kept their opponents out just twice in their last 13 matches in all competitions, and both of those shutouts were secured in games against the same weak Partizan Belgrade outfit.

AZ’s sharp cutting edge

AZ have looked extremely threatening in forward areas for the vast majority of their 2019/20 campaign, and remarkably, their failure to score against United in October remains the only time they were unable to register in 20 attempts across two competitions.

Alkmaar’s potency in attack, coupled with United’s continued problems at the back, makes the both teams to score market a hugely attractive market at the prices quoted, though our correct score prediction tips the home side to eventually triumph with a 2-1 victory. United come into Thursday off the back of a nine-match unbeaten stretch at Old Trafford, and a run of just two defeats in 12 games overall has ignited talk of corners being turned at the club.

Solskjaer’s men scored exactly two goals in each of their last three games, though they have hit the net more than twice in only three of their 11 fixtures at Old Trafford since the summer. We expect a changed United team to have just about enough quality to finish their Group K campaign on a high, resulting in a narrow 2-1 triumph.