AZ Alkmaar vs Hapoel Beer Sheva Prediction & Betting Tips

Recent form for both sides

AZ Alkmaar's record across their last 20 matches reads 11 wins, 7 draws and just 2 losses, with 46 goals scored and only 22 conceded. That sample mixes Eredivisie games with cup and friendly fixtures, but the pattern is fairly consistent: AZ don't lose often. Their most recent domestic games show a 1-0 home win over Telstar and a 5-2 thrashing of Go Ahead Eagles, though they did lose 3-2 away at Heerenveen and drew at home with Willem II, so it isn't all one-way traffic.

AZ Alkmaar: 20 completed matches; Hapoel Beer Sheva: 20 completed matches.

AZ Alkmaar

20 matches

Win

55% 11 / 20

Draw

35% 7 / 20

Loss

10% 2 / 20

Scored

46

Conceded

22

Difference

+24

Hapoel Beer Sheva

20 matches

Win

45% 9 / 20

Draw

15% 3 / 20

Loss

40% 8 / 20

Scored

32

Conceded

38

Difference

-6

Hapoel Beer Sheva's numbers over a similar span are far less settled: 9 wins, 3 draws and 8 losses across 20 matches, with 32 goals for and 38 against. Their last five results include a narrow home win over Ironi Kiryat Shmona, a 0-0 draw with Dinamo Zagreb, and a heavy 1-4 home defeat to Maccabi Tel Aviv. That's a team capable of good moments but also vulnerable to being overrun.

AZ's underlying form looks the sturdier of the two, though it stretches back through the summer and includes non-league fixtures.

Comparative Team Statistics: AZ Alkmaar vs Hapoel Beer Sheva

Where they sit in the Europa League table

In the Europa League's own standings, AZ Alkmaar sit 26th and Hapoel Beer Sheva 20th, but both have played just a single match so far. AZ lost their opener 1-0, while Beer Sheva earned a point from their goalless draw with Dinamo Zagreb. With so few games played, these positions say more about a slow start than anything settled, and there's a long way to go before the table means much.

How this one could play out

AZ have already shown in this competition that they can travel and win, beating Sunderland 1-0 away last time out. That points to a side comfortable enough in continental football, even on the road, so hosting Beer Sheva at their own ground should suit them further. Still, AZ have dropped points against less-fancied domestic sides recently, drawing with Willem II and losing to Heerenveen, so they're not unbeatable right now.

Beer Sheva, for their part, have already proven they can be difficult to break down in Europe, holding Dinamo Zagreb scoreless. If they bring that same discipline here, this could be tighter than AZ's home advantage suggests. But their defensive record elsewhere, including that 1-4 home defeat to Maccabi Tel Aviv, shows they can also be exposed by a side that creates plenty of chances, and this AZ team has certainly scored freely this season.

Both sides have shown they can keep a European clean sheet, which could make this closer than the overall form gap suggests.