AZ Alkmaar vs Galatasaray Prediction, H2H & Probable Line-ups – February 13, 2025
The first leg of the Europa League playoffs between AZ Alkmaar and Galatasaray is set to take place at the AFAS Stadium on Thursday, February 13, 2025. Both teams are eager to gain an advantage before the return leg, making this a crucial encounter.
Match Preview
AZ Alkmaar’s Recent Form & Europa League Performance
Under Maarten Martens, AZ Alkmaar had a mixed Europa League group stage, finishing 19th overall. They suffered a 3-4 loss to Ferencváros in the final round but still managed to secure a playoff spot with 11 points.
🔹 Recent Form: AZ comes into this match on a three-game winning streak, including a 2-0 win over Zwolle in the Eredivisie.
🔹 Home Advantage: AZ is unbeaten in 16 straight Europa League home matches (8 wins, 8 draws).
🔹 Goal Scoring Strength: In 9 of their last 11 home games, they have scored at least two goals.
Galatasaray’s Recent Form & Europa League Performance
Managed by Okan Buruk, Galatasaray finished their Europa League campaign in 14th place, one point shy of the top-8 zone. They ended the group stage with a 1-2 loss to Ajax, but before that, they were unbeaten in 7 Europa League matches (3 wins, 4 draws).
🔹 Recent Form: Galatasaray thrashed Boluspor 4-1 in the Turkish Cup last Thursday.
🔹 Scoring Trends: Their Europa League matches have been high-scoring, with an average of 4.4 goals per game.
🔹 Away Struggles: Galatasaray has failed to win in 7 consecutive Europa League away matches (5 draws, 2 losses).
Head-to-Head & Key Stats
📌 AZ Alkmaar vs Galatasaray H2H Record:
✅ The teams drew 1-1 during the group stage at the AFAS Stadion.
✅ 10 of AZ Alkmaar’s last 14 Europa League matches had under 3 goals.
✅ Both teams scored in Galatasaray’s last 11 Europa League matches.
✅ At least 3 goals were recorded in 10 of Galatasaray’s last 11 matches.
Probable Lineups
AZ Alkmaar (4-3-3):
Rome-Jayden Owusu-Oduro – Denzo Kasius, Wouter Goes, Maxim Dekker, Mees de Wit – Peer Koopmeiners, Kees Smit, Mijnans – Jayden Addai, Mykel Lahdo, Ernest Poku
Galatasaray (4-3-3):
Fernando Muslera – Abdülkerim Bardakçı, Baltacı Metahan, Kaan Ayhan, Gabriel Sara – Kerem Demirbay, Dries Mertens, Berkan Kutlu – Yunus Akgün, Roland Sallai, Barış Yılmaz
Prediction & Betting Tips
AZ Alkmaar has been solid at home, while Galatasaray has struggled on the road in European competition. With AZ’s strong home form and Galatasaray’s defensive vulnerabilities, the Dutch side has a great chance to take an early advantage.
🔹 Prediction: AZ Alkmaar Draw No Bet ✅
🔹 Betting Tip: AZ Alkmaar to win with Draw No Bet at odds of 1.99
🔹 Alternative Bet: Both Teams to Score (BTTS) – Yes
📢 Final Score Prediction: AZ Alkmaar 2-1 Galatasaray
🔥 Stay tuned for match updates and analysis!
