Football Bet of the Day: Dutch delight in the UECL

• AZ have won six of the last nine on the road

• Anderlecht only ninth in the Belgian league

Anderlecht v AZ
Thursday 13 April, 20:00
Live on BT Sport Extra

Our National League tip landed with room to spare last night, as Gateshead's 5-2 win at Eastleigh took us over the 2.5 goals line inside 27 minutes. We'll look to maintain the momentum now, because we're off to see a Benelux showdown between Anderlecht and AZ in the UEFA Europa Conference League.

Anderlecht are one of the big names in European football, but their stock has fallen in recent years. The Brussels-based club haven't won a league title since 2017, and they are nowhere near ending that drought this term. Anderlecht are ninth in the Belgian top flight, closer to the dropzone than they are to top spot.

However, the Europa Conference League is offering some respite for fans of Les Mauves et Blancs. Anderlecht finished second in their group behind a dominant West Ham, they beat Ludogorets on penalties in the first knockout round, and then pulled off a major upset by seeing off Villarreal in the last 16.

AZ have been developing nicely for several seasons, and coach Pascal Jensen has built cleverly on the foundations laid by his predecessor Arne Slot, a man who now looks set to win the Eredivisie with Feyenoord. AZ are fourth in the Netherlands, although a recent sticky spell has probably taken them out of the title race. That probably makes the Conference League even more of a priority, and AZ's win over Lazio in the previous round made everyone sit up and take notice.

AZ won their UECL group (they won five of their six games) and beat Lazio 2-1 in both legs in the last 16. They have won six of their last nine away games in all competitions, including a 1-0 win at PSV, so this trip to Belgium will hold little fear.

I'll use the Sportsbook's Bet Builder to back AZ/Draw Double Chance, Over 1.5 Goals and Over 5.5 Corners at 2.226/5. 27 of AZ's last 32 competitive games have featured at least two goals, while their games in the Eredivisie average 8.6 corners, well above what we are asking for here.