Ferencváros will push for a place in the Europa League play-offs under their new manager, former Republic of Ireland star Robbie Keane, who took charge of the Hungarian club on 6 January. However, AZ Alkmaar pose a significant obstacle to this goal.
The departure of Pascal Jansen was not solely due to their humiliating 0:5 defeat to PAOK in the sixth round of the Europa League, but also a dreadful run of just one win in six Hungarian league matches over a six-week period in late autumn. Two narrow victories before the winter break did little to change the club’s fortunes. It is still too early to assess Robbie Keane’s impact, but one clear issue is that his team have yet to score a goal under his management—failing to find the net in two friendlies and their loss to Eintracht Frankfurt (0:2) in the previous Europa League round. However, given the strength of Eintracht, that result should not be overly concerning.
Can AZ Alkmaar give Ferencváros any hope? Their recent defeat to Sparta Rotterdam (1:2) suggests some vulnerability, particularly as they conceded the decisive goal in the 95th minute. However, prior to that loss, AZ Alkmaar were unbeaten in 12 consecutive matches, including a home victory over Roma last week. That unbeaten run, however, also included a disappointing away draw against Ludogorets Razgrad, who have yet to win a single Europa League match and sit 33rd in the standings.
Bookmakers see this as a match with three possible outcomes, and a tight scoreline is expected. While no side is a clear favourite, AZ Alkmaar appear more stable at the moment, so we will back the Dutch club to avoid defeat.
