Ararat-Armenia vs AZ Alkmaar - prediction, team news, lineups

FC Ararat-Armenia invited AZ Alkmaar to the Vazgen Sargsyan Republican Stadium successful Yerevan connected Thursday for matchday 3 of the UEFA Europa League league phase.

Ararat-Armenia arrived successful Europe's second-tier contention arsenic reigning Armenian Premier League champions and the archetypal Armenian nine ever to scope a league phase, portion AZ Alkmaar instrumentality to continental contention having won past season's Dutch Cup nether Leeroy Echteld.

Match preview

Manuel Tulipa's broadside beryllium 34th of 36 teams successful the Europa League array with zero points from 2 matches, and lone struggling Lech Poznan person conceded much goals successful the league signifier than their seven.

The run opened with a 1-4 location decision to Sparta Prague connected September 16, with Bruno Wilson's extremity the lone reply successful a effect that extended Ararat-Armenia's winless tally against the Czech nine to 3 meetings.

Matchday 2 brought a 3-1 decision distant to Jagiellonia Bialystok connected October 15, with Kamil Jozwiak's 13th-minute opener and further goals from Rodrigo Conceicao and Osman Sow cancelling retired Zidane Banjaqui's 11th-minute leveller, which Maxence Carlier acceptable up with a transverse from the right.

Domestically the representation is acold brighter, with Ararat-Armenia 2nd successful the Armenian Premier League connected 23 points, 5 points down leaders Noah aft a 1-0 triumph astatine BKMA Yerevan past weekend.

Tulipa delivered the club's 3rd Armenian rubric positive the historical Europa League qualification past play and was named the division's Manager of the Season for his efforts.

34-year-old guardant Sandro Lima and Armen Ambartsumyan, the club's grounds European quality shaper with 22 caps successful continental competition, springiness Tulipa a halfway of acquisition to telephone connected against stiffer opposition.

AZ Alkmaar beryllium 20th successful the Europa League standings with 3 points from 2 matches, a presumption built connected a 2-1 location triumph implicit Hapoel Be'er Sheva connected October 15.

Peer Koopmeiners enactment AZ Alkmaar up soon aft fractional clip against the Israeli side, Forson Amankwah equalised six minutes later, and Mexx Meerdink settled the contention from the punishment spot.

That effect followed a 0-1 opening decision distant to Sunderland connected matchday one, a reminder that Echteld's broadside tin inactive beryllium undone connected the roadworthy successful this competition.

This is the archetypal continental gathering betwixt the 2 clubs, though AZ Alkmaar person already faced Armenian absorption this season, beating FC Noah 4-1 connected aggregate successful past season's Conference League play-off and Sparta Prague 6-1 connected aggregate successful the past 16.

In the Eredivisie, AZ Alkmaar sat 2nd with 20 points from 9 matches earlier a hard week, losing 0-2 distant to Feyenoord connected October 10 and past needing a second-half fightback to gully 2-2 astatine SC Cambuur past weekend.

Cambuur led doubly done Nicolas Binder and Ilyes Hamache, Ro-Zangelo Daal equalised successful the 26th minute, and Meerdink's 83rd-minute punishment rescued a constituent adjacent aft Cambuur were reduced to 10 men pursuing Daniel Bouah's 53rd-minute reddish card.

Ararat-Armenia Europa League form:

Ararat-Armenia signifier (all competitions):

AZ Alkmaar Europa League form:

AZ Alkmaar signifier (all competitions):

Team News

Ararat-Armenia person reported nary caller wounded oregon suspension concerns for the sojourn of AZ Alkmaar, continuing a cleanable measure of wellness that has tally done their opening 2 league-phase matches.

Tulipa has kept religion with mostly the aforesaid radical done the Sparta Prague and Jagiellonia defeats, with Bruno Wilson again expected to marshal the backmost enactment alongside Luis Felipe.

Banjaqui's extremity successful Bialystok arrived connected the counter-attack, a motion Tulipa wants wide gait to trial AZ Alkmaar's backmost enactment successful modulation alternatively than conscionable them beforehand on.

For the visitors, Meerdink did not commencement against Hapoel Be'er Sheva aft fittingness concerns, but came disconnected the seat successful the 76th minute, and his punishment astatine Cambuur confirmed helium is backmost to afloat lucifer sharpness.

Echteld has nary caller fittingness concerns to study beyond the accustomed rotation calls that travel with a 4th fixture successful 11 days, having already utilized the Europa League to negociate minutes for regulars specified arsenic Jordy Clasie and Calvin Stengs.

Ararat-Armenia imaginable starting lineup:

Bravim; Oliveira, Luis Felipe, Wilson, Grigoryan; Carlier, Balanta, Tera; Serobyan, Banjaqui, Lima

AZ Alkmaar imaginable starting lineup:

De Busser; Chavez, Goes, Hoedt, Maikuma; Clasie, Koopmeiners; Byskov, Stengs, Daal; Meerdink

We say: Ararat-Armenia 1-3 AZ Alkmaar

  Ararat-Armenia person conceded 7 goals successful 2 league-phase matches and look an AZ Alkmaar broadside that enactment a combined 10 goals past FC Noah and Sparta Prague, 2 sides besides successful this season's Europa League, crossed 2 aggregate wins past term.

That caller past offers a blunt measurement of the spread successful European pedigree betwixt the 2 sides heading into Thursday's match.

Expect Ararat-Armenia to find a extremity of their ain done Banjaqui oregon Lima, but not capable to forestall AZ Alkmaar's archetypal distant triumph of the league phase.

For information investigation of the astir apt results, scorelines and much for this lucifer delight click here.