One point apart in the Europa League table, Juventus and AZ Alkmaar are both vying for automatic qualification to this season's last 16.

Set to meet at AFAS Stadion on Thursday evening, Juve have started strongly, but AZ boast a long unbeaten home record in UEFA competition.

Match preview

More accustomed to dining at Europe's top table, Juventus started their Europa League campaign with a 5-0 cruise at home to NEC, before being made to work much harder for victory over Celta Vigo on matchday two.

Nick Woltemade and Randal Kolo Muani both scored as Juve beat Celta and moved top of the table, but they slipped down to seventh with a home draw last time out.

After Zeki Celik had opened the scoring against Rennes, the hosts then found themselves 2-1 down heading into the final half-hour, before Woltemade equalised from the spot.

Since then, it has been quite a mixed bag in Serie A, as the Bianconeri beat Lecce 2-0, then lost to Genoa by the same scoreline, setting up a tense clash with Napoli on Sunday night.

Ahead of kickoff in Turin, Luciano Spalletti's injury-hit side lay 11 points behind the league leaders, below newly promoted Frosinone and just above city rivals Torino.

With his job potentially on the line, Spalletti really had to beat a club he memorably led to the Scudetto in 2023, and stunning strikes from Kerim Alajbegovic and Jeremie Boga eventually got the job done.

In contrast to their domestic woes, Juventus have lost just one of their last 10 continental games, while scoring at least twice in eight - so they may welcome a return to the Europa League.

Heading into the clubs' first competitive meeting, Juve are seventh in the table on seven points, while AZ sit one point behind in 10th place.

The Dutch side have responded well after an opening-day defeat to Sunderland, first beating Hapoel Be'er Sheva on home turf, then strolling to victory in Yerevan.

AZ simply swept Ararat-Armenia aside at the end of last month, with Brazilian winger Weslley Patati scoring twice in an emphatic 4-0 win.

Now heading back to Alkmaar, they have won 14 and lost none of their last 17 European home matches, dating back to a Conference League clash with Aston Villa three years ago.

However, like Juve, they have recently been below par on the domestic scene: Leeroy Echteld's side have only taken one point from their last four league games, leaving them fifth in the Eredivisie.

Amid a tough run of fixtures, they lost 2-0 at Feyenoord, drew 2-2 with Cambuur and were beaten 2-0 at home by Twente, before losing 1-0 to Ajax in Amsterdam.

AZ Alkmaar Europa League form:

AZ Alkmaar form (all competitions):

Juventus Europa League form:

Juventus form (all competitions):

Team News

Juventus are still missing several men, as their relentless injury crisis continues.

Celik and Nico Gonzalez most recently joined Kenan Yildiz, Khephren Thuram, Francisco Conceicao, Kamil Grabara and captain Manuel Locatelli on the sidelines.

Furthermore, Weston McKennie, Juan Cabal and Alajbegovic all sustained knocks against Napoli, though they are expected to play some part in Alkmaar.

With Jeff Ekhator just returning, there are few alternatives to Kolo Muani and Woltemade, the latter of whom is joint-top scorer in this season's Europa League with three goals.

AZ forwards Patati and Mexx Meerdink have notched two apiece, and they are likely to feature in the hosts' front three.

Ayoub Oufkir is another option, as he returns from a domestic suspension, while rising star Kees Smit should be back on the bench after recovering from injury.

Club captain Peer Koopmeiners could come up against his big brother Teun, who scored 35 times in 116 AZ appearances and may play for Juve in midfield.

AZ Alkmaar possible starting lineup:

De Busser; Dijkstra, Goes, Hoedt, De Wit; Kwakman, P. Koopmeiners; Patati, Stengs, Daal; Meerdink

Juventus possible starting lineup:

Vicario; Kalulu, Gatti, Bremer, Cambiaso; Luiz, Sarr; Kolo Muani, T. Koopmeiners, Alajbegovic; Woltemade

We say: AZ Alkmaar 1-1 Juventus

They may have made minimal progress in Serie A since Spalletti arrived one year ago, but Juventus are still a force at Europa League level.

With a little luck, the Bianconeri could even threaten AZ's long unbeaten streak on home turf, but the spoils will most likely be shared.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.