AZ Alkmaar face a tricky challenge in their upcoming Europa League match against Roma as they will be without their top scorer in the competition. Ruben van Bommel is set to miss his third consecutive game due to injury. The team’s offensive capabilities are further diminished with winger Ibrahim Sadiq joining Sem Westerveld on the injury list.
Despite these setbacks, manager Maarten Martens is expected to have the majority of his squad available. A key player to watch is Republic of Ireland striker Troy Parrott, who recently claimed the Eredivisie’s player of the month award for December after an impressive streak of scoring in three consecutive matches. However, Parrott has yet to find the back of the net since the winter break.
On the opposing side, Roma’s attack looks formidable with the potential pairing of in-form strikers Artem Dovbyk and Paulo Dybala. However, manager Claudio Ranieri might consider resting one or both players in preparation for their upcoming Serie A fixture against Udinese on Sunday.
Roma have several options available if they decide to rotate their squad. Mario Hermoso, Tommaso Baldanzi, and Eldor Shomurodov are all prepared to step in if needed. The Italian side received a boost with the return of Bryan Cristante and captain Lorenzo Pellegrini to training. Cristante had been sidelined for several weeks, while Pellegrini had recently suffered a minor injury against Genoa. Their availability gives Ranieri a full squad to choose from for the match.
AZ Alkmaar (4-2-3-1): Owusu-Oduro; Maikuma, Goes, Penetra, Wolfe; Koopmeiners, Clasie; Poku, Mijnans, Lahdo; Parrott
Roma (3-4-2-1): Svilar; Mancini, Hermoso, Angelino; Celik, Kone, Paredes, El Shaarawy; Pisilli, Baldanzi; Dovbyk
