Valencia are very good at the Mestalla, while AZ Alkmaar are not very good away from home. Based on the current fitness of the two teams' players, their squads are similarly talented. This seems to point to a narrow Valencia win at home, resulting in either Los Che's progression or extra time. However, Valencia are not in good form at the moment, and don't exactly look like a team that has a big win in them.
Valencia Vs. AZ Alkmaar, 2012 UEFA Europa League: Los Che In Bad Form
Los Che have failed to win in their last three La Liga games and their last two Europa League games. In their last win in this competition, a 4-2 victory over PSV Eindhoven, they allowed their opponents to score twice at the end of the game to turn what should have been a beating into a narrow win that gave PSV a chance in the second leg.
Maarten Martens and Jozy Altidore are both in great form for AZ, and they just got Roy Beerens back from injury. An AZ draw or win would be an upset, but only a minor one. Valencia look like a team on the downswing.
Game Date/Time: Thursday, April 5, 3:05 p.m. ET, 9:05 p.m. local
Venue: Mestalla, Valencia, Spain
TV: DirecTV Soccer (USA), ITV 4 (UK)
We’ll have individual game previews and live coverage in our UEFA Europa League Quarterfinals StoryStream.
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