AZ Alkmaar vs Aston Villa Preview | Can Pascal Jansen’s young side shock Unai Emery’s high-flying Villans? | OneFootball

AZ Alkmaar host Aston Villa in the Europa Conference League on Thursday evening, in a clash that sees the Eredivisie’s second-place side face the Premier League’s fifth-place outfit. After the first two rounds of Conference League action, all four teams in Group E are level on three points. Now, AZ boss Pascal Jansen faces his toughest task yet – a visit from Unai Emery’s Aston Villa.

AZ have been particularly strong on home soil, winning six and drawing two of their previous eight fixtures at the AFAS Stadion. They’ve conceded only two goals at home since the final day of last season. Unfortunately for the Dutch side, they’re winless across their last seven meetings with English opposition, a streak that the Villans will be aiming to extend. AZ are currently second in the Eredivisie table after nine matches.

Aston Villa have experienced an incredible start to their campaign, having won six and drawn two of their opening nine Premier League matches. The Birmingham-based side are currently fifth in the table following their fantastic 4-1 victory over West Ham. Manager Unai Emery admitted his squad are producing ‘something special,’ a feeling that would only be boosted if the Villans can secure back-to-back victories in Europe after claiming a 1-0 win over Zrinjski on matchday two.

The Aston Villa players must keep their eyes on one AZ Alkmaar player in particular. Greek striker Vangelis Pavlidis is obliterating the Eredivisie at the moment, having scored 13 goals in their opening nine league games. The 24-year-old scored a hat-trick in his side’s last match against Heerenveen, which made him the second player in Eredivisie history to find the net in each of his first nine matches of a specific campaign, after the great Johan Cruyff in 1966-67. He’ll certainly be a handful for the Villa defenders.

According to ESPN, the total transfer value of AZ’s last starting eleven is €66.8m, compared to the value of Aston Villa’s most recent starting eleven, which stands at €387m. The average age of the AZ Alkmaar squad is just 23.7, whereas Aston Villa have an average squad age of 27.1. Can Pascal Jansen’s relatively inexperienced side send shockwaves through the Conference League? Or, will Unai Emery deliver another masterclass with his Villans?

GBeNeFN | Hugo Hargreaves