Preview: AZ Alkmaar vs. Apollon Limassol - prediction, team news, lineups

Meanwhile, the away side make the trip still in search of their first Conference League victory following two previous unsuccessful attempts.

Match preview

AZ Alkmaar picked up a third successive win across all competitions by emphatically beating Groningen 4-1 at the Euroborg on Saturday evening.

Pascal Jansen's men raced to a two-goal lead courtesy of strikes from Dani de Wit and Jesper Karlsson after which Ricardo Pepi halved the deficit, only for Milos Kerkez and Mayckel Lahdo to put the game beyond doubt in the second half.

Consequently, The Cheeseheads have risen to the top of the Eredivisie table, one point clear of defending champions Ajax and two above PSV Eindhoven.

Also leading the way in their Conference League group, AZ now set out to take a huge step towards progressing into the knockout stages of the sophomore edition of Europe's newest club tournament.

Unbeaten in 13 consecutive home matches since May, Thursday's hosts will back themselves to get the job done in front of their fans once again.

Apollon Limassol had to settle for a point in their last league outing following a 1-1 stalemate against Paphos when the teams went head to head at the Tsirion Stadium on Saturday.

David Catala's men trailed to Jairo's 38th-minute opener after which they drew level midway through the second period thanks to Vladimiro Etson.

The Blue-whites have now failed to win any of their most recent three involvements since a 2-1 victory over Omonia Nicosia on September 11.

With just one triumph in eight matches on the road leading up to Thursday's clash, the visitors go in search of a much-needed three points to help kickstart their Conference League journey.

AZ Alkmaar Europa Conference League form:

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AZ Alkmaar form (all competitions):

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Apollon Limassol Europa Conference League form:

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Apollon Limassol form (all competitions):

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Team News

Vangelis Pavlidis remains unavailable for AZ Alkmaar due to a leg injury, while Bruno Martins Indi is set to miss a second game on the bounce.

The hosts will also have to make do with the absence of Norway international Hakon Evjen, who has not featured since September 11.

Leading goalscorer Jens Odgaard could make his return to action here having missed his side's victory over Groningen last time out.

Apollon's Bagaliy Dabo continues his spells on his sidelines with a muscle injury which is set to keep the 24-year-old out of Thursday's game.

Nicolas Diguiny is also unavailable for the visitors but the Frenchman is drawing increasingly closer to securing a return to action.

AZ Alkmaar possible starting lineup:

Verhulst; Kerkez, Dekker, Beukema, Chatzidiakos; Clasie, De Wit, Reijnders; Sugawara, Karlsson, Van Brederode

Apollon Limassol possible starting lineup:

Jovanovic; Aleesami, Roberge, Peybernes, Panagiotou; Coll, Kyriakou; Shahar, Ba, Khammas; Pittas

We say: AZ Alkmaar 3-1 Apollon Limassol

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