22.07.2025
Reading time: 3 min

Ilves vs AZ Alkmaar: Europa Conference League Prediction (24.07.2025)

Dian Pane
Dian Pane
Ilves vs AZ Alkmaar: Europa Conference League Prediction (24.07.2025)

On Thursday, July 24, at 23:00 WIB, Finnish club Ilves will host AZ Alkmaar at the Tammela Stadium in Tampere in the first leg of their UEFA Europa Conference League 2024–2025 qualifying tie. Ilves reached this stage after being eliminated from the first qualifying round of the Europa League, having lost 0–6 on aggregate to Shakhtar Donetsk. The Dutch side AZ finished fifth in last season’s Eredivisie and earned their place in the Conference League after defeating sixth-placed Twente in a playoff.

In the Ilves vs AZ Alkmaar matchup, bookmakers clearly favor the Dutch side. A bet on the home team, the “Lynxes,” to win the first leg is priced at 6.50, while their odds to advance are set at 9.00. Meanwhile, AZ Alkmaar’s odds are 1.41 to win the match and 1.04 to progress. A high-scoring game is expected, with odds of 1.55 for over 2.5 total goals, and 1.74 for both teams to score.

Ilves

Joonas Rantanen’s modest squad was quite unlucky in the early stages of European qualification. Facing Shakhtar Donetsk first, the Brazilian-paced attack of the Ukrainian side proved too dominant for Ilves’s positional defense. A 6–0 defeat in the first leg alone revealed the club’s lack of readiness for serious European competition.

And now, they face an even stronger opponent, although it would seem the Conference League might have offered a more manageable draw. The only positive for Ilves is that they are currently in the middle of their domestic league season, and the team is performing well. Last weekend, they beat Jaro 1–0 away from home.

AZ Alkmaar

Maarten Martens is preparing his team for the new season through an intense pre-season schedule. Over the past three weeks, AZ have played six friendly matches. While their opponents were not particularly strong, the key objective was to bring the squad to the Europa Conference League qualifiers in good competitive shape. The priority now is to ensure their superiority is reflected on the pitch and to live up to their status as clear favorites.

Stats and Head-to-Head Record

This will be the first ever European meeting between Ilves and AZ Alkmaar.

Prediction

In the matches against Shakhtar, Ilves looked toothless in attack. Across two legs, the Lynxes managed only three shots on target. With such stats, it’s hard to expect them to be productive against another strong opponent. We suggest betting on “both teams to score – no” at odds of 1.98.

Be the first to find out the results of all football matches on our Live Results page
-->