Sunderland vs AZ Alkmaar — match preview and analysis

Sunderland meet AZ Alkmaar in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday 1 January 1970. This page brings together everything the two clubs have done recently so you can judge the fixture without leaving the score centre: their form over the last five matches, their positions in the table and every previous meeting between them in our records.

What to weigh up before kick-off

• Recent form — five results is a small sample, but it captures momentum better than a season-long total.
• Home advantage — Sunderland play this one at home, where the crowd usually lifts the tempo and the referee decisions tend to even out over a season.
• Head-to-head history — some fixtures resist form entirely, and the record above shows how these two have traded results.
• Table context — where the two clubs sit tells you what is at stake: European places, mid-table comfort or a relegation scrap.

After the final whistle

Once the match is over the full-time score is published here and the competition table is recalculated. Results feed into the results archive, while both clubs' pages pick up the outcome in their form guides.