AZ Alkmaar have lost all ten previous visits to England, including being beaten not once but twice by Tottenham in North London last season.
Crystal Palace vs AZ Alkmaar preview
After suffering a shock Conference League defeat a fortnight ago, can Crystal Palace get their European adventure back on track? Last time out in this competition, Oliver Glasner's side were on the wrong end of one of the biggest upsets in this tournament's short history, beaten 1-0 by AEK Larnaca at Selhurst. This leaves the Eagles on three points, having beaten Dynamo Kyiv 2-0 in Lublin in their opener, but with a tricky trip to Strasbourg up next, they can ill-afford another slip up.
That defeat at the hands of the Cypriot Cup winners came in the midst of a four match winless streak for Crystal Palace, but they have enjoyed back-to-back wins ahead of this one. First, the Eagles demolished an admittedly youthful Liverpool 3-0 in the EFL Cup last mid-week, before also beating Brentford 2-0 in the Premier League on Saturday; Jean-Philippe Mateta breaking the deadlock in the latter. So now, can Palace carry their winning streak over into the Conference League?
AZ Alkmaar meantime boast far more European expirence than their hosts, reaching the semi-finals of this competition just three seasons ago, before getting to the Europa League round of 16 last time round, both times eliminated by London-based opposition. This season, after coming through three rounds of qualifying, the Cheese Farmers endured a nightmare start to the league phase, hammered 4-0 by the aforementioned AEK Larnaca, with Alexandre Penetra's second minute red card in Cyprus not helping their cause. Maarten Martens' side did then get off the mark on matchday two, beating Slovan Bratislava 1-0 at AFAS Stadion, with Sven Mijnans the only scorer in North Holland.
Domestically, AZ have finished either fourth or fifth in the Eredivisie in each of the last four seasons, but are currently third, winning each of their last four, most notably defeating Ajax 2-0 at the Johan Cruijff Arena, thanks to goals from Weslley Patati and then Troy Parrott in Amsterdam. So, AZ will be no push-overs, but Crystal Palace should be too strong at Selhurst in Thursday.
Crystal Palace vs AZ Alkmaar head-to-head record
These two clubs have never previously met.
Crystal Palace team news
Oliver Glasner will continue to name a strong starting lineup, as he has done across their four Conference League fixtures to date.
Borna Sosa, who was suspended on matchday two, will be rotated in at left-wing-back, with summer signing Jaydee Canvot also coming into the defence. Glasner also likes to rotate his midfield pairing, so there is set to be a start for Will Hughes, while Eddie Nketiah will be back on the bench, after suffering a slight knock at Anfield.
Crystal Palace predicted lineup vs AZ Alkmaar: (4-3-3): Henderson; Canvot, Guéhi, Lacroix; Muñoz, Hughes, Kamada, Sosa; Yéremy, Sarr, Mateta.
Crystal Palace player to watch vs AZ Alkmaar
Jean-Philippe Mateta bagged his eight of the season against Brentford on Saturday, while he is the only Palace player to have netted at Selhurst in the Conference League so far, on target against Fredrikstad in August, and he'll continue to be their main goal threat.
AZ Alkmaar team news
Maarten Martens remains without injured trio Seiya Maikuma, Mexx Meerdink and captain Jordy Clasie, but Alexandre Penetra can return, having served his suspension against Slovan Bratislava.
In fact, the Cheese Farmers could name an unchanged side compared to the team that beat Sparta Rotterdam 1-0 at Het Kasteel on Sunday.
AZ Alkmaar predicted lineup vs Crystal Palace: (4-3-3): Owusu-Oduro; Kasius, Goes, Penetra, de Wit; Mijnans, Koopmeiners, Smith; Weslley Patati, Jensen, Parrott.
AZ Alkmaar player to watch vs Crystal Palace
Since joining AZ for Spurs, Republic of Ireland international Troy Parrott has scored 33 goals for the club, including 13 this season. Of these, seven came during Conference League qualifying, having bagged for in last season's Europa League, so he'll very much be their danger man.
Crystal Palace vs AZ Alkmaar prediction
Despite the threat AZ do pose, we are backing Crystal Palace for victory in South London, likely to be too strong, although they cannot underestimate their visitors: Crystal Palace 2-0 AZ Alkmaar.
Crystal Palace vs AZ Alkmaar FAQs - UEFA Conference League
How to watch Crystal Palace vs AZ Alkmaar in the Conference League on TV channel?
Crystal Palace vs AZ Alkmaar in the Conference League will be available on the following TV channels;
- UK: TNT Sports 1.
- USA: Paramount+
- Canada: DAZN Canada
How to watch Crystal Palace vs AZ Alkmaar in the Conference League on live streaming?
Crystal Palace vs AZ Alkmaar in the Conference League will be available on the following streaming services;
- UK: Discovery+
- USA: Paramount+
- Canada: DAZN Canada
What is the date and kick-off time for Crystal Palace vs AZ Alkmaar in the Conference League?
Crystal Palace vs AZ Alkmaar takes place on Thursday 6 November 2025, with kick off at 20:00 (GMT), 15:00 (ET) & 12:00 (PT).