Napoli vs. AZ Alkmaar 10/22/20 UEFA Europa League Soccer Pick, Odds, and Prediction

Napoli is welcoming AZ Alkmaar to Stadio San Paolo in round 1 in the UEFA Europa League.

Napoli is one of the best teams in Serie A in this early season, and they have scored 12 goals in the first 4 games of the season. Defensively, Napoli is also one of the best teams in Serie A with only 4 conceded goals. In their last match against Atalanta at home this past weekend, Napoli has had 49% of ball possession, 11 shots on goal, 6 corner kicks, 1 big chance created, and a solid 82% of the correct passes. Napoli was absolutely brilliant in this match on both ends, and they have deservedly won this game 4-1. Lozano is the leading goalscorer for Napoli with 4 goals so far this season. Zielinski and Elmas are both injured, while Llorente, Macuit, and Milik are not eligible to play in the Europa League. The last season was kind of a disappointment for Napoli, but it seems this season will be a lot better for Napoli. They are playing fantastic soccer on both ends, they are scoring a ton of goals, and more importantly, Napoli is solid and confident on the defensive end. I think Napoli has enough quality to compete in two big competitions, but we will see if they can stay consistent.

Alkmaar is the team from the Netherlands, and they are in terrible form at the moment. Alkmaar hasn’t won any of their last 5 games, and they have 4 draws in their last 4 games. During this stretch, Alkmaar ahs both scored and conceded 10 goals in the Dutch Eredivisie. Alkmaar was playing in the Champions League qualifications earlier, but they got knocked out by Dynamo Kyiv, and they ended up in the Europa League. Alkmaar is in 11th place after 4 games with 4 points. Jeremy Helmer is the only injured player for Alkmaar at the moment. There have been some reports recently that Alkmaar has been hit by the Coronavirus, but nothing has been reported just yet. In their last Eredivisie match against Venlo at home, Alkmaar has had 56% of ball possession, 7 shots on goal, 6 corner kicks, 2 big chances created, and a solid 82% of accurate passes. Alkmaar was leading 2-0 at the half time, but they have also conceded a red card in the 41st minute of the game. The pressure on Alkmaar’s defense was too strong, and they conceded 2 goals, in the 86th, and the 88th minute of the game. The final score of this match was 2-2. Alkmaar is a decent team in the Netherlands, but they don’t stand a chance in Europe while playing defense like this.

Napoli and Alkmaar have never played against each other, but Napoli is the better team here, in better form, and with high morale after beating Atalanta this past weekend. This is a no brainer for me, I’m taking Napoli.