Europa League | League Stage

Dec 12, 2024 at 5.45pm UK

Huvepharma Arena (Razgrad)

Ludogoretsvs.AZ

Match preview

Winners of the Bulgarian Premier League in each of the last 13 seasons, Ludogorets Razgrad are no strangers to dominating their opponents on the pitch with little fuss, but Thursday night's hosts are struggling to exert their considerable power on the Europa League stage.

The Eagles, along with Latvia's Rigas Futbola Skola, Ukraine's Dynamo Kiev, French giants Nice and FC Twente, are one of five sides yet to register a win in the 36-team competition, leaving the Bulgarians in 33rd place, three points off the top 24.

Since a dull draw at the home of Serie A outfit Lazio on 28 November, Ludogorets have continued their quest for another domestic crown with three successive wins, sweeping aside Slavia Sofia, Arda Kardzhali and Botev Plovdiv by a combined score of 9-0.

As a measure of their struggles in the Europa League, the Eagles have found the net just once in five league games, with Brazilian winger Erick Marcus netting in a 2-1 defeat to Athletic Bilbao at the Huvepharma Arena.

Igor Jovicevic, who took over in September following a coaching change, will be desperate to turn around his side's fortunes in the competition after a year in charge of Al Raed in the Saudi Pro League, where they narrowly avoided relegation in a league that boasts the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Sadio Mane.

Having finished fourth in consecutive Eredivisie campaigns and narrowly missed out on Champions League qualification, AZ Alkmaar are on a mission to conquer UEFA's second-tier club competition, where they reached the final in 1980-81 before losing to Ipswich Town.

Since returning from the November international break and a shock 2-1 home defeat to Willem II on 10 November, De Kaasboeren have gone on a four-match unbeaten run in the Dutch top flight and Europa League, including back-to-back Eredivisie victories.

AZ Alkmaar's 9-1 thrashing of Heerenveen in September was their best performance of the campaign so far, and on Sunday afternoon they recorded a hard-fought victory over Dutch giants Ajax, with second-half goals from Irishman Troy Parrott and Mayckel Lahdo proving enough to secure maximum points.

Turning their attention to the Europa League, De Kaasboeren remain in contention for a top-eight finish after a 1-1 draw with Turkish giants Galatasaray at the AFAS Stadium last month, when a first-half strike from Victor Osimhen cancelled out Sven Mijnans' opener.

AZ's two away games in the league so far have failed to produce any meaningful results, with a 2-1 defeat at Athletic Bilbao on 3 October followed by Richarlison holding his nerve from 12 yards to send Tottenham Hotspur to continental glory in the English capital.

Recent Performance

Ludogorets Razgrad Europa League form:LDLLD

Ludogorets Razgrad form (all competitions):WDDWWW

AZ Alkmaar Europa League form:WLLWD

AZ Alkmaar form (all competitions):WLWDWW

Team News

Ludogorets will be without the services of left-back Anton Nedyalkov, with the 31-year-old last out with a knee injury at the end of August.

The Eagles' options on the flanks are likely to be further restricted by the absence of Bernard Tekpetey, who has also not featured since August due to fitness issues.

AZ Alkmaar's Kees Smit, who saw red after just 17 minutes off the bench against Galatasaray in November, is suspended for Thursday night's trip to Bulgaria.

De Kaasboeren are sweating over the fitness of Ibrahim Sadiq, who has not featured since October after scoring seven goals in his first seven Eredivisie appearances of the season.

Jeroen Zoet and Daniel Virginio Deen will complete the Dutch goalkeeping options this week, with youngster Sem Westerveld still recovering from a long-term knee injury.

Possible starting lineup

Ludogorets Razgrad possible starting lineup:

Bonmann; Witry, Kurtulus, Almeida, Son; Naressi, Marcus, Chochev, Duarte, Gropper; Cruz

AZ Alkmaar possible starting lineup:

Zoet; Maikuma, Penetra, Koopmeiners, Wolfe; Clasie, Mijnans, Buurmeester; Lahdo, Van Bommel, Parrott