Celtic and AZ Alkmaar will meet in the Europa League Quals playoffs. Celtic significantly improved its form, and Ange Postecoglou has found the recipe for victories. The home fans expect them to continue the winning streak, as the goal is to enter the group stage of the Europa League. AZ Alkmaar plays attractive football, and they will try to surprise Celtic.
August 18th, 2021 – 21:00
Celtic vs AZ Alkmaar Betting Tips & Predictions
Draw @3.70
BTTS Yes @ 1.80
Correct score 1:1 @7.00
Reason for Celtic vs AZ Alkmaar Predictions
Celtic continued with their fine run with a win over Hearts and will feel confident enough to welcome Dutch side AZ Alkmaar in the Europa League play-offs as they go in search of a place at the group stage. The Scots stuttered at the start but have been in explosive form since finding their footing. Going into this game, they have four straight wins, and in each of them, they’ve scored three or more goals, but they have just two clean sheets in five matches. In their last five games, Celtic have scored 17 goals and conceded six. Kyozo Furuhashi has scored five goals in the previous five games and will be a man in focus here, but the hosts have to check their defensive discipline. They’ve conceded twice in three of the last five matches, which should concern them, especially seeing that four of the six goals have come in the second half and three within the final five minutes. David Turnbull plays excellently and does not allow the opponent to play in the middle of the field. Kyogo Furuhashi is the engine of this team, his greatest virtue is speed, and he has excellent ball control and can be satisfied with his performance.
On the other hand, AZ Alkmaar started their season on a losing note, falling 1-0 to RKC Waalwijk, and will hope they get their first win here. They came from a strong preseason, with four straight wins, however, the tempo changes when competitive action starts, as they discovered at Waalwijk. AZ isn’t the strongest side when playing away from home; they have no win in four and have two straight away losses. They’ve failed to score in three of the last four away matches and have just one clean sheet in their previous five away games. In 10 away games, AZ has scored two or more goals in two games, but they’ve conceded more than one in just two as well. Dani de Wit has excellent ball control, he can play in several positions, and every team needs such a player. Jesper Karlsson enjoys the pitch, and when he receives the ball and moves towards the goal, the opponent has problems. The bench players are expected to show as much as possible and impose themselves on the coach for the starting lineup.
Conclusion
It will be a big battle between these two teams, and it will not be surprising if the match ends in a draw.
We can also expect a goal in both nets, and neither side should keep the clean sheet.