May 9, 2023
Russ Yershon has been in Sports betting for over 15 years and content writing is one of his specialities. Managing blog content for a number of betting brands, Russ has excellent knowledge and understanding to produce engaging pieces of content.
West Ham v AZ Alkmaar – Europa Conference League Semi-Final 1st Leg – Thur 11 May
West Ham United have been very inconsistent this season in the Premier League and after two top half finishes which enabled European football to return for The Hammers, this season West Ham have been in a relegation battle for most of the season.
David Moyes’ men, have however shown superb form in the Europa Conference League and they comfortably qualified out their group and haven’t shown any sign of their League from in Europe. Some of West Ham’s best performances this season have been in this competition and the knock-out stages so far have not seen any concern for the London outfit.
Over the past few weeks, West Ham have put in some better performances in the Premier League, most notably last weekend with a 1-0 win over Manchester United and prior to that, they fought back from being 2-0 down to draw 2-2 with Arsenal.
Declan Rice continues to be the heartbeat of the side and with transfer rumours of him leaving for a bigger club, it would be fitting if he could lift the Europa Conference League trophy for his home town club.
West Ham will look to learn from last season’s Europa League semi-final and go one better this year. The home form has been very good in this competition and with many players coming into form, the Hammers can put one foot in the final with a strong performance here.
The visitors will have something to say in this one as their home form as been very good. They were 2-0 down to Anderlecht after the first leg and they turned it around and won 3-0 at home. Should AZ Alkmaar come away with a positive result, then they will believe they have a massive chance of going to the final.
West Ham will have to look to get off to a first start and following a 4-1 home win over Gent in the last round, should they be able to get a big lead, this will give them one foot in the final.
Key Injuries
- West Ham could be without Coufal and Zouma
- AZ Alkmaar are likely to be without Karlsson and Martins Indi.
Europa Conference League ¼ Final results
Gent 1 v 1 West Ham
West Ham 4 v 1 Gent
Anderlecht 2 v 0 AZ Alkmaar
AZ Alkmaar 3 v 0 Anderlecht
West Ham v AZ Alkmaar – Europa Conference League Semi-Final 1st Leg – Thur 11 May
| West Ham | 4/7 Paddy Power |
| Draw | 3/1 |
| AZ Alkmaar | 9/2 William Hill |
Punters Pub Best Bet –
West Ham v AZ Alkmaar – Europa Conference League Semi-Final 1st Leg – Thur 11 May
With a very good record at home in the competition so far this season, plus an upturn in form with a draw against Arsenal and a big win over Manchester United, West Ham will be looking to head into the second leg with a big win.
Looking at West Ham’s performances at home in this competition, it’s outstanding. They’ve scored 4 goals in each of their last two home games and at Punters.pub, our view is that West Ham can win the first leg in style.
Rather than the 7/4 on West Ham to win with Paddy Power, we’re looking at the value of 27/10 for West Ham to win and both teams to score with William Hill. Expect West Ham to come out the blocks and with Antonio, Benrama and Rice all in form, the Hammers will look to strike first.
About the author
Russ Yershon has been in Sports betting for over 15 years and content writing is one of his specialities. Managing blog content for a number of betting brands, Russ has excellent knowledge and understanding to produce engaging pieces of content.
