Now they meet an AZ Alkmaar team who started the season magnificently under Maarten Martens, but have been on a wretched run of form recently, losing four matches in a row across all competitions to drop to fifth in the Eredivisie and 11 points adrift of leaders PSV Eindhoven. They were also beaten by Athletic Club in their last Europa League outing after opening with a win over Elfsborg and have not fared well at all on previous trips to England.
