Europa League
2026-09-16 - Sunderland vs AZ Alkmaar
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: UEFA Europa League Match Day 1
Wednesday 16th September 2026 - Kick Off 8pm
This game is live on TV
Sunderland
The reintroduction of a third UEFA competition as well as the expanded nature of the Champions League and Europa League has offered more English Premier League clubs the opportunity to compete at this level. Even with that in mind, Sunderland's participation in the Europa League is a real surprise seeing as they were not even a top flight club eighteen months ago and credit has to be given to the owner, the board and manager Regis Le Bris.
Of course a lot of credit has to be given to the players as well and Sunderland will enter the Europa League knowing it is a competition that has been won by English clubs in each of the last two seasons. The extra carrot at the end of the stick is that the winner of the Europa League will go into the Champions League and so there will be a real desire from those in the boardroom to see Sunderland give the competition plenty of focus.
Sunderland will want to avoid the issues Nottingham Forest had last season when they struggled to produce the best form in the Premier League and Europa League and The Black Cats have made a decent start to this campaign. They were unbeaten in 3 games in all competitions before being punished for missing a Penalty at 0-0 in the eventual 0-2 defeat to Arsenal. The side had won 3 in a row at the Stadium of Light before that defeat on Saturday.
Some rotation has to be expected, but Sunderland fans will be expecting a strong starting eleven to be selected.
AZ Alkmaar
There is not a lot of experience of playing in European Football for the opponent as a club and AZ Alkmaar may be looking to take advantage as they play in one of the three UEFA competitions for a ninth year in a row. The side reached the Quarter Final of the Conference League last season and AZ Alkmaar have moved back up into the Europa League this time around.
Two years ago, AZ Alkmaar were beaten in Last 16 of the Europa League by eventual Winners Tottenham Hotspur, while they were Semi Finalists in the Conference League in 2023. That was another run ended by a club from the English Premier League and this fixture may feel like a pretty awkward opening to the League Phase of the Europa League in 2026/27.
AZ Alkmaar are unbeaten in 14 games in all competitions since losing in the Conference League Quarter Final First Leg, while the 1-1 home draw with Willem II snapped the 6 game winning run to open this campaign. The side will travel to the North East of England having won all 4 away games played this season.
Head to Head
This is the first competitive fixture between these clubs.
Prediction
The one and only time Sunderland have competed in European Football came all the way back in the 1973/74 season and they were actually competing as a second tier club following the upset FA Cup success the previous season.
In 2026/27, Sunderland have more than deserved their spot in the Europa League and there is a feeling that the squad depth will allow Regis Le Bris' team to have a very big impact in the competition.
The draw for the League Phase has given Sunderland a good shot at finishing in the top eight, which would mean a direct spot in the Last 16 and that has to be the target.
Much like they do in the Premier League, Sunderland will look to make the Stadium of Light a very tough place for visiting teams to produce their best form and they have all they need to open with a victory.
AZ Alkmaar are not only more experienced as a club in European Football, but they will arrive with some confidence having put together a 14 game unbeaten run in all competitions. They had won 6 in a row before the draw this past weekend, but AZ Alkmaar are well aware of the challenges of facing Premier League opponents.
Since the 2022/23 season, AZ Alkmaar have faced four English Premier League clubs and lost all 5 matches played away from home, including 3-1 at Crystal Palace in the Conference League last season. Others like West Ham United, Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur have all gotten the better of AZ Alkmaar when hosting them and Sunderland are capable of becoming the latest English club to do that.
The visiting team will have plenty of confidence, but European teams have found the gap to the English clubs hard to bridge in the two competitions below the Champions League and that may be the case for AZ Alkmaar once again.
The Pick :
Sunderland 2-0 AZ Alkmaar
