AZ Alkmaar vs Hapoel Beer Sheva: Three AZ Absentees
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AZ Alkmaar face Hapoel Beer Sheva in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday 15 October 2026 at AFAS Stadion in Alkmaar, with the home side looking to pick up their first points of the campaign while managing three confirmed injuries.
Three AZ Alkmaar players sidelined
The Dutch side enter the contest without Jizz Hornkamp, Kees Smit, and Stije Resink, who are all ruled out through injury. AZ Alkmaar sit 25th of 36 in the Europa League table following a 1-0 defeat away at Sunderland on 16 September 2026. In domestic action, they fell to a 2-0 defeat away at Feyenoord on 10 October 2026, which followed a 1-0 home victory against Telstar on 20 September 2026.
Despite recent setbacks, AZ Alkmaar continue to generate chances at a high rate. Ro-Zangelo Daal leads the squad with four goals across all competitions this season. Over their last five fixtures with chance data recorded, AZ Alkmaar have averaged 1.85 expected goals created and 1.57 conceded per match.
Hapoel Beer Sheva travel without Dan Biton
Hapoel Beer Sheva occupy 18th place in the league phase table with one point, having opened their Europa League schedule with a 0-0 home draw against Dinamo Zagreb on 16 September 2026. The Israeli club will be without Dan Biton, who is unavailable due to an injury.
Top scorer Igor Zlatanović, who has two goals in all competitions this season, leads the away attack. Hapoel Beer Sheva experienced heavy European scorelines earlier in the campaign, notably suffering a 5-2 defeat away at Sabah FA on 25 August 2026 after winning the home leg 2-1 on 19 August 2026. Over their last three games with chance metrics, they have averaged 1.39 expected goals created while conceding an average of 1.71.
Our model firmly expects an AZ Alkmaar win
Our forecasting model firmly expects an AZ Alkmaar win. That projection reflects AZ Alkmaar's superior chance creation rate of 1.85 expected goals per match against Hapoel Beer Sheva's 1.39, alongside the visitors allowing 1.71 expected goals per game. Even with Jizz Hornkamp, Kees Smit, and Stije Resink out, AZ Alkmaar retain sufficient firepower against an opponent that did not score in Matchweek 1.