AZ Alkmaar vs West Ham Prediction: What should you expect in the second round?

AZ faced West Ham in the return leg of the Conference League semi-final. The English club won the first leg (2:1) - what should you expect in the second? What's the best bet?

AZ lost on the road in the first leg of the Conference League semi-final but struggled. The Dutch team led 1:0 at the end of the first half thanks to a Tijani Reijnders goal but conceded two unanswered goals in the second half. Overall, AZ had more possession and took a decent number of shots on goal but only managed 0.27 xG. Nevertheless, 1:2 is far from a verdict, as the return leg will be played in Alkmaar, where the local crowd will support their team incredibly. Since their encounter with West Ham, AZ beat Emmen in the Dutch league with a 5:1 win.

For West Ham, the current season is a failure in the EPL, as, after 36 rounds, they sit 15th in the table with 37 points. Of course, the Hammers are not relegated to the Championship, but David Moyes still faces the prospect of relegation if the team does not win the Conference League. So far, everything is going well for the Scottish specialist as his charges secured a 2:1 win in the first leg of the semi-final against AZ. After conceding the lead in the first half, Mohamed Benrahma and Michael Antonio scored in the second half to lift their side to victory. And after that win, West Ham lost 0:2 to Brentford in the EPL.

West Ham has the lead after the first leg, but that doesn't mean much now. AZ is performing magnificently at home, especially in the Conference League. The Hammers, on the other hand, have been struggling away from home recently. In the first leg, the opponents created several dangerous chances, exchanged goals, and shot on goal. We can't expect a low-scoring game now - the home side will go on the attack from the opening minutes and may even score a quick goal, but the visitors certainly will not stay on the defensive after that, so we suggest taking a BTTS as the main bet. Alternatively, we might consider a standard total over (2.5).

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