West Ham and AZ Alkmaar clash in the first leg of their Europa Conference League semi-final on Thursday, with the winner over the two ties going on to meet either Fiorentina or Basel in the final.
West Ham vs AZ Alkmaar Betting Tips
- West Ham to win and both teams to score @ 13/5 with bet365
- Jarrod Bowen to score at anytime @ 13/8 with bet365
- Corners - 9-11 @ 13/8 with bet365
Odds are correct at the time of publication and are subject to change.
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The Hammers have been in a similar situation before, reaching the final four of last season's Europa League. Meanwhile, AZ are the relative underdogs, but are enjoying a good campaign, as they currently sit fourth in the Eredivisie.
Their hosts on Thursday have had a tough time domestically, but after beating Manchester United 1-0 on Sunday to all but seal their Premier League status for 2023/24, David Moyes' men will fancy themselves to take a lead into next week's return game in the Netherlands.
Hammer time at the London Stadium
Sunday's success against the Red Devils was arguably West Ham's best performance of the season and they will be confident of grabbing another victory.
That result snapped a run of three straight Premier League defeats and moved them up to 15th in the standings, meaning they can now almost solely focus on their continental exploits.
While they have struggled domestically, the Hammers are unbeaten in their 12 Conference League matches, winning 11 of them, with their sole blip a quarter-final draw away at Gent.
AZ have beaten Lazio and Anderlecht on their way to the semi-finals and will fancy themselves to get a goal, having scored in 13 of their 16 Conference League games.
However, Moyes' team should have too much and are likely to gain the halfway advantage in the tie.
West Ham vs AZ Alkmaar Tip 1: West Ham to win and both teams to score @ 13/5 with bet365
Confident Bowen can inspire Hammers
West Ham's improvement has coincided with the resurgence of Michail Antonio, but Moyes has admitted that while he has enjoyed seeing the Jamaican shine, his physicality could be counterproductive with referees in continental competitions.
Therefore, the Hammers may need to channel their attacks down other avenues and that could benefit Jarrod Bowen. He has scored five times in this competition, starting in August against Viborg. All of them have come at home, while he has also provided two assists.
Bowen is likely to go up against Mees de Wit, a reserve left-back set to come in for the suspended Milos Kerkez and will fancy himself against the 25-year-old.
The England international has failed to score in his last six games, but his performances have been good and he is due a goal.
West Ham vs AZ Alkmaar Tip 2: Jarrod Bowen to score at anytime @ 13/8 with bet365
Corners could be an avenue to explore
A final market to look for could be corners, with both sides enjoying a similar amount in the statistics since the start of the group stages.
West Ham have had 52 in their 10 games in that time, averaging 5.2 per game. Meanwhile, AZ have taken 49 in the same time, averaging 4.9 per game.
Therefore, looking at between 9-11 might pay off, although the Hammers are likely to have the majority of them.
West Ham vs AZ Alkmaar Tip 3: Corners - 9-11 @ 13/8 with bet365