Levski Sofia — AZ Alkmaar : Match Preview and Prediction for August 21,2025

Levski Sofia’s Strong Start

Levski Sofia’s early season form has been genuinely impressive. Although I don’t follow the Bulgarian club closely, match predictions have frequently led me to watch their games.

Domestic Form and Squad Rotation

The hosts only recently dropped their inaugural points in the fifth fixture, securing a somewhat surprising goalless draw away to Botev. This result was largely influenced by coach Julio Velasquez opting to rotate his squad and rest several key players. Prior to this, they had maintained a perfect record of four wins from four matches, placing Levski alongside Ludogorets at the top of the league table, each boasting 13 points.

European Campaign Highlights

Levski’s European journey commenced in the initial qualifying phase of the Europa League, where they navigated a challenging tie against Hapoel Be’er Sheva, ultimately progressing only via a tense penalty shootout. Their next formidable opponent was Braga. Remarkably, the Sofia squad held their ground, securing a goalless draw at home and delivering a highly commendable performance in Portugal. Yet, Braga’s superior quality eventually told, clinching a 1-0 victory with a decisive goal deep into extra time, in the 104th minute. Subsequently dropping into the Conference League, Levski faced no real obstacles against the humble Sabah, registering comfortable 1-0 and 2-0 wins.

AZ Alkmaar’s Summer Transfers

AZ Alkmaar endured substantial squad upheaval during the summer transfer window, seeing four pivotal players exit: David Wolfe to Wolverhampton, Ernest Poku to Bayer, Ruben van Bommel to PSV, and Jayden Addai to Como. Concurrently, they acquired three new players – Isak Jansen from Viborg, Mateo Chavez from Chivas Guadalajara, and Troy Parrott from Tottenham – none of whom appear to be direct like-for-like replacements for the departed core.

Early Season Struggles

Unsurprisingly, the Dutch club has experienced a turbulent start to their season. This instability became evident in the second qualifying round of the Conference League against Finnish side Ilves. Despite Ilves having been comprehensively defeated by Shakhtar Donetsk in the Europa League just a round prior, AZ surprisingly succumbed to a 3-4 away defeat. Fortunately, their superior quality shone through in the home leg, securing a decisive 5-0 victory. Their luck continued as they were then drawn against Vaduz. This tie presented no further surprises, with Maarten Martens’ side comfortably winning both legs 3-0 and 1-0.

Inconsistent Domestic Form

Following three successive victories in their European campaign, it appeared AZ Alkmaar had regained their footing, notably with a dominant 4-1 away win against Groningen in the Eredivisie’s opening fixture. However, my earlier assertion about their inconsistency proved accurate, as their subsequent league encounter resulted in a disappointing 2-2 draw against Volendam, a team widely expected to be battling relegation.