With the start of the international competitions, the teams from the UEFA Europa League are facing a real mammoth program, including several English weeks. From an Austrian perspective, two teams are represented in the round of 32 and will try to regain eleventh place in the UEFA five-year ranking.
While the bulls from the city of Mozart are already in action at 17:55 p.m., the whistle sounds at the current Austrian championship leader at 9 p.m. In North Holland there is a duel between Alkmaar and the Lask. The following article takes a closer look at this game, otherwise we have also made a compact Europa League preview of all 16 knockout games for the intermediate round for you.
While games with the participation of Arsenal London, Manchester United or Inter Milan undoubtedly promise more glamor, this knockout game can be seen as a kind of insider tip. If both teams confirm their achievements from the fall, fans will have a real football festival.
The playing style of both teams is very offensive, with a lot of pressing and enormous willingness to run. Even with the to-qualify bets between Alkmaar and the LASK, there are only minimal differences in the odds.
Alkmaar:
After five years, John van den Brom decided to change the air and joined FC Utrecht. His successor at Alkmaar was his previous assistant coach Arne Slot. The 41-year-old ex-professional moved to the front row for the first time and so far the conclusion has been extremely positive.
A look at the betting base table service shows that the slot elf is currently the first chaser of Ajax Amsterdam.
With 47 points from 22 games, the reigning champions are six points behind. The lead over Feyenoord Rotterdam is four points and thus the young team can dream of the qualification of the premier class.
Alkmaar started this season with the qualification. Three knockout rounds had to be survived before the group stage. Alkmaar remained undefeated in the first five games and fixed early on the fifth matchday with a 2-2 draw against Partizan Belgrade. In the twelfth international game – at Old Trafford – they lost to the Red Devils (0: 4).
Alkmaar scored 15 goals in the group stage, but this statistic is a bit distorted, because eleven of the 15 goals were scored by top talent Myron Boadu (13 goals in the Eredivisie) against Astana (6-0 and 5-0).
Alkmaar’s way of playing certainly has some parallels with LASK. Although a variable three / five chain is not used, the running intensity and the quick switching game are cornerstones of success even at Alkmaar.
However, the success was a little lacking recently. In the cup came out against second division NAC Breda, in the league it was a 0-2 defeat at Twente Enschede. Accordingly, between Alkmaar and Lask, we are not necessarily taken with the betting odds for the home win.
Lask:
In the 1960s the LASK was the first non-Viennese champion in the Austrian Bundesliga. The club from Stahlstadt was miles away from such successes some time ago.
Six years ago, the club was still in third grade, had debts and not even a training ground of its own. The present is now called Europa League knockout phase and lead in the Austrian Bundesliga.
The leap to the top of the table was achieved on Valentine’s Day when a 3-2 away win was celebrated in the top game at Red Bull Salzburg at the start of the Bundesliga spring season. Due to the success of the Ismael troop, Salzburg’s impressive home record broke. After 53 home games in the Austrian Bundesliga, Salzburg had to bow again.
The LASK continued its own series – the tenth away game in the current championship was also won. Across the seasons, the LASK has now won eleven Bundesliga matches in a row in the distance. In a strange place, the team of head coach Valerien Ismael presents itself as a power.
Internationally, LASK is represented in the main competition for the first time since 2000 and was one of only six debutants in the 2019/20 UEFA Europa League season. Immediately at the debut, the LASK achieved the greatest success in the club’s history to date, because for the first time the winter was international.
In a heavy group, the team surprisingly took first place ahead of Sporting Lisbon and PSV Eindhoven. However, the cornerstone for this was laid at home thanks to three victories. The LASK collected four meters abroad.
