David Moyes’ West Ham host Dutch side AZ Alkmaar in the first leg of their Europa Conference League semi-final showdown.
The Hammers come into the game off the back of a 1-0 win against Manchester United – with Said Benrahma scoring the only goal of the game.
The English side progressed through to the last four after they defeated Gent 5-2 on aggregate.
As for Alkmaar, Pascal Jansen’s side defeated Anderlecht 4-1 on penalties in the quarter-finals of the competition after a 2-2 draw in extra time.
Mail Sport breaks down everything you need to know ahead of West Ham’s meeting with AZ Alkmaar including how to watch and team news.
West Ham come into the game off the back of a 1-0 win at home to Manchester United
AZ Alkmaar booked their place in the semi-finals of the competition after they defeated Anderlecht
When is West Ham vs AZ Alkmaar?
The clash between West Ham and Alkmaar will take place tonight, with kick-off at 8pm.
West Ham’s showdown with the Dutch side will take place at the London Stadium, where the club have won two of their last five games in all competitions.
This evening’s fixture will be the first time that the pair have ever met in a competitive fixture.
Michail Antonio is West Ham’s top scorer this season, with 13 goals in all competitions. The Englishman has scored two goals in his last five games.
Vangelis Pavlidis is Alkmaar’s top scorer, with 22 goals in all competitions. The forward has scored three goals in his last five games.
Michail Antonio (Left) and Vangelis Pavlidis (Right) will go head-to-head this evening
How to watch
This evening’s clash between West Ham and AZ Alkmaar will be shown live on BT Sport 1 and BT Sport Ultimate, with coverage getting underway at 7.15pm.
The game between the two teams will also be streamed on the BT Sport app.
Highlights will be uploaded to the official BT Sport YouTube channel after the game.
Mail Sport will also be providing live coverage of West Ham vs AZ Alkmaar, so you can keep up-to-date with all the latest developments here.
This evening’s clash between West Ham and Alkmaar will take place at the London Stadium
Team news
The home side have been boosted by the return of defender Kurt Zouma, who hasn’t featured for the side since he suffered an ankle injury against Crystal Palace last month.
Zouma returned to training this week, but the game may come too soon for the Frenchman.
Other than that, Moyes is set to have a fully fit squad to choose from. Alphonse Areola has established himself as the regular cup keeper this season and is set to start from the off again this evening.
Declan Rice is expected to start in midfield alongside Tomas Soucek and Lucas Pacqueta.
As for Alkmaar, the club are sweating over the fitness of Pavlidis. However, it is expected that the forward will feature against West Ham.
Former Southampton midfielder Jordy Clasie is in line to feature from the off for the Dutch this evening.
The club are set to be without Jesper Karlsson and Dani de Wit due to injury, while Milos Kerkez will miss the game due to suspension.
Predicted West Ham XI (4-3-3): Areola; Kehrer, Aguerd, Ogbonna, Cresswell; Soucek, Rice, Pauqeta; Bowen, Antonio, Benrahma
Predicted AZ Alkmaar XI (4-3-3): Ryan; Sugawara, Beukema, Hatzidiakos, M. de Wit; Reijnders, Mijnans, Clasie; Lahdo, Pavlidis, Van Brederode
Kurt Zouma recently returned to training for West Ham but tonight’s game may have come too soon for the defender
Former Southampton midfielder Jordy Clasie (Right) is set to start from the off for Alkmaar
What’s been said?
Heading into the semi-final clash this evening, Moyes was asked what it would mean to the club to reach the final
I don’t think we have hidden away [from our ambitions] of reaching the final’, Moyes said at his pre-match press conference.
‘But when you get to the semi-final you have another opponent you have to respect because you don’t get to the semi-final unless you are a good side.
‘Do I want to get to a final? 100 per cent. And I will do everything I can to get there.
‘I think we can breathe a little bit easier because of the result at the weekend as well’.
Moyes also revealed that he has a lot of respect for Alkmaar and believes that his side aren’t favourites going into the game.
‘No, I wouldn’t say so because I’ve got a lot of respect for AZ and the way they play and what they’ve got. I think they’re having an amazing season so we’ve really got a tough opponent. I think any Dutch teams are usually good. I think they are always good footballing teams, well-coached, so it will be a tough game for us’.
Moyes revealed that his side are not favourties heading into tonight’s clash with the Dutch side
Pascal Jansen revealed that his side will be up for the fight against West Ham this evening
As for Alkmaar, Jansen revealed that his side are up for a big fight ahead of the clash with the Hammers.
‘West Ham has physically very strong, very fast players’, Jansen said at his pre-match press conference.
‘We tried to find their weaknesses and of course we will try to profit from that on Thursday.
‘It would mean a lot to get to the final. It’s a massive game and really great to be here, in a European semi-final.
‘We’re proud to be here, we know we’re up for a big fight playing against a big team and a big club but the approach will be no different to the previous game.’
Odds
West Ham United to win – 4/7
AZ Alkmaar to win – 5/1
Draw – 14/5
West Ham to have one or more goals in each half; West Ham to have three or more corners in each half and AZ Alkmaar one or more cards in each half – 12/1
All odds via Paddy Power and correct at the time of publication.
West Ham will be looking to make home advantage count against AZ Alkmaar this evening
Prediction
West Ham have the perfect opportunity to build on their big win against Manchester United last weekend.
While their league form has been poor this season, the club have continued to get big results in Europe.
As for Alkmaar, the club will be hoping to get a positive result to take back to the AFAS Stadion next week.
If Pavlidis is fit and able to start from the off, it will help the side a big deal, with the forward capable of causing the West Ham defence a lot of issues.
Prediction: 3-1 West Ham
