Despite a crushing 3-0 defeat in the first leg, the Dutch team has every chance of ending their goalless streak in European competitions at home.
A key factor in favor of this prediction is AZ Alkmaar's phenomenal home form. The team has won its last seven home matches in a row, and has scored first in eight of the last nine. Finding themselves playing catch-up, the Cheeseheads will attack with force from the start in an attempt to stage a miracle comeback. Shakhtar's away record is also impressive—they are unbeaten in their last 20 away matches, and players like Pedrinho and Alissan have already proven their worth in the first leg.
Although bookmakers favor the hosts (the odds for an AZ victory are 2.00), their overall three-goal lead allows the visitors to play second fiddle and catch their opponents on the counterattack. Considering the aggressive attitude of AZ, destined to storm Riznyk’s goal, as well as the high performance of both clubs in recent matches (in 5 of Shakhtar’s 6 games the total was exceeded by 2.5 goals), a goal from his side looks more than likely.
