West Ham have a chance to reach their first European final since 1976 tonight when they face AZ Alkmaar in the second leg of their Europa Conference League semi-final clash.
Despite their season-long struggle in the Premier League, West Ham have found joy in Europe this season, reaching the semi-final of a European competition for the second consecutive campaign. David Moyes' side fell to defeat against eventual winners Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League semis last year, but they enter the second leg of the Conference League semi-finals with an advantage after their 2-1 win over AZ Alkmaar in the first leg at the London Stadium.
The Hammers currently sit 15th in the Premier League table, so their only chance of playing European football next season would be to win the Europa Conference League. All West Ham need to do is avoid defeat in the Netherlands to book their spot in the final, where they would take on either Fiorentina or Basel at the Fortuna Stadium in Prague.
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So, could the Hammers overcome AZ and reach the Europa Conference League final? Let's take a look.
AZ Alkmaar vs West Ham score predicted by simulation
To complete this simulation, we used FIFA 23 and updated the squads with the latest injuries and suspensions.
We predict that the hosts could line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with their line-up as follows: Ryan; Sugawara, Beukema, Hatzidiakos, Kerkez; Clasie, Reijnders; Odgaard, Mijnans, Van Brederode; Pavlidis.
We predict that Hammers could set up in a 4-3-3 formation, with their line-up as follows: Areola; Kehrer, Zouma, Aguerd, Cresswell; Soucek, Rice, Paqueta; Bowen, Ings, Benrahma.
It was a fantastic start by Moyes' side in Alkmaar, with Said Benrahma and Jarrod Bowen causing all sorts of problems on both wings. The Hammers were camping in the hosts' half as they searched for a breakthrough, and they found it just before the break as Bowen got on the scoresheet.
As the ball was worked towards goal from the left, Benrahma's driven cross was met by Tomas Soucek, but the midfielder's shot was parried by the feet of Matt Ryan in goal. Fortunately for West Ham, the ball fell to Bowen, and from close range the forward swept into the net to make it 1-0.
Danny Ings almost made it 2-0 moments after the restart with a diving header at the back post, but his effort was tipped onto the bar by the 'keeper. The few opportunities that fell AZ's way were quickly shut down in a solid defensive display by the Hammers, and in the 74th minute, Bowen grabbed his second of the game to put his side in a fantastic position.
Kurt Zouma cut out a long ball by the hosts before finding Declan Rice in the middle, and the Hammers captain sprayed a great pass down the right to send Bowen through on goal. The Englishman raced ahead of his marker to burst one-on-one with Ryan, and a cheeky dink over the onrushing 'keeper secured the victory to send West Ham to the final.
FIFA 23 predicted score: AZ Alkmaar 0-2 West Ham (West Ham win 4-1 on aggregate)
Here are the full-time match stats:
FIFA 23 predicts that West Ham could advance to the Europa Conference League final, beating AZ Alkmaar 2-0 on the night and 4-1 on aggregate. Jarrod Bowen was the star of the show, whilst Kurt Zouma and Nayef Aguerd were solid at the back to shut out the AZ threat.
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