AZ Alkmaar — Levski Sofia : Match Preview and Prediction for August 28,2025

AZ Alkmaar’s Inconsistent Start

AZ Alkmaar continues to grapple with inconsistency, a recurring issue that plagues them season after season. The current campaign has followed a similar pattern. The Alkmaar side secured two consecutive victories in the Eredivisie, triumphing over Twente (3-2) and Groningen (4-1). However, they surprisingly dropped points in an away fixture against Volendam, settling for a 2-2 draw. Their defensive performance raises concerns, having conceded five goals across just three matches.

European Journey So Far

Their European journey has also delivered some unexpected turns. In the second qualifying round, the Dutch outfit was drawn against Ilves, a team previously knocked out of the Europa League by Shakhtar Donetsk with a crushing 0-6 aggregate score. Complications arose immediately in the first leg, where the Finnish side managed to defeat Maartens’ squad 3-4. However, AZ demonstrated their quality in the return leg, dismantling Ilves with a dominant 5-0 victory. Subsequently, they faced the more modest Vaduz, who proved unable to challenge the Alkmaar team across two encounters, losing 3-0 and 1-0. Their most recent adversary was Levski, a team reportedly in excellent form and expected to provide a stern test. Yet, the Dutch side regrettably accomplished 90% of their mission by securing a crucial 2-0 away win.

Defensive Solidity in Europe

Intriguingly, it is specifically in the Conference League that Maartens has managed to solidify his team’s defensive efforts, keeping clean sheets in their last four European fixtures. It remains to be seen whether they can extend this impressive streak in tomorrow’s match.

Levski’s Strong Domestic Form

Levski’s start to the Bulgarian championship has been exceptionally strong, as they clinched victories in their first four matches with an aggregate score of 11-1! While their opponents were not top-tier, these early wins were vital, especially considering their commitments on two fronts: Montana (1921), Septemvri (2-1), Slavia Sofia (2-0), and Spartak Varna (2-1). However, in their most recent domestic outing, they surprisingly failed to overcome Botev Vratsa, ending in a goalless 0-0 draw.

European Campaign Overview

Their performances in European competitions have also been quite commendable. In the initial stage, they encountered a formidable and resilient Hapoel Be’er Sheva, whom they only managed to overcome after a penalty shootout. Following this, the Bulgarians faced Braga, a team clearly superior in class. Julio Velazquez’s squad came remarkably close to causing an upset but couldn’t hold on for a penalty lottery, conceding the decisive goal in the 104th minute. After dropping into the Conference League, Levski faced no issues whatsoever against Sabah, defeating the Azerbaijanis twice without conceding – 1-0 and 2-0. Personally, I had anticipated that the Bulgarians could put up a significant fight against AZ and at least avoid defeat at home. Unfortunately, only one team truly showed up on the pitch. It seems highly improbable that the visitors will be able to stage a comeback away from home.