Conference League quarter-final first leg: Shakhtar Donetsk vs AZ Alkmaar facts
Thursday, April 2, 2026
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Shakhtar Donetsk, the first Ukrainian team to feature in the last eight of the UEFA Conference League, face AZ Alkmaar in Krakow for the first leg of their quarter-final tie.
Shakhtar's 13 points in the league phase was good enough for sixth position in the table, before they secured their quarter-final berth after beating Lech Poznań 4-3 on aggregate in the round of 16 (3-1 a, 1-2 h).
AZ were 14th in the league phase having collected ten points, and beat Noah 4-1 on aggregate in the knockout phase play-offs (0-1 a, 4-0 h) before a 6-1 success over two legs against Sparta Praha (2-1 h, 4-0 a).
Last match
The teams' only previous meeting came in the 2004/05 UEFA Cup round of 16, AZ winning 3-1 in Ukraine and 2-1 in Netherlands to complete a 5-2 aggregate triumph.
Shakhtar have won only two of their nine matches against Dutch teams (D1 L6), both against Feyenoord in the 2017/18 UEFA Champions League group stage (2-1 a, 3-1 h). They most recently lost 2-3 at PSV Eindhoven in the league phase of last season's Champions League.
From Shakhtar's four home games against Dutch opponents, their 3-1 win against Feyenoord in November 2017 is their sole victory (D1 L2).
Shakhtar have lost all three two-legged ties against Eredivisie teams, most recently 2-8 on aggregate to Feyenoord in the 2022/23 UEFA Europa League round of 16 (1-1 h, 1-7 a).
AZ have won three of their last four encounters with Ukrainian clubs, most recently beating Dnipro-1 1-0 in Slovakia and 2-1 in Netherlands during the 2022/23 Conference League group stage. Their record overall is W6 D3 L3.
The Dutch side have won both their two-legged ties against Ukrainian teams, beating Mariupol 4-0 on aggregate in the third qualifying round of the 2019/20 Europa League (0-0 a, 4-0 h). They also faced Dynamo Kyiv in a one‑off Champions League third qualifying round tie in 2020/21, losing 0-2 in Ukraine.
Shakhtar are appearing in their sixth European quarter‑final, having previously reached the last eight of the Cup Winners' Cup, the UEFA Cup/Europa League (three times) and the Champions League. They have won their last two quarter‑finals, both in the Europa League — 6-1 on aggregate against Braga in 2015/16 (2-1 a, 4-0 h) and 4-1 against Basel in their single‑leg tie in 2019/20.
A 2-1 extra-time win against Werder Bremen in Istanbul gave Shakhtar victory in the last UEFA Cup final in 2009, their only European trophy.
Including qualifying, AZ are participating in European competition for the eighth successive season. This is their fourth Conference League appearance.
This is AZ's seventh European quarter‑final and their second in the Conference League. They reached this stage most recently in 2022/23, defeating Anderlecht 4-1 on penalties (0-2 a, 2-0 h aet).
The Dutch side's best European performance was reaching the final of the 1980/81 UEFA Cup, when they lost 4-5 over two legs against Ipswich Town (0-3 a, 4-2 h).
Key stats
Shakhtar have lost only two of their 16 European games this season (W9 D5).
AZ have won 11 of their last 15 matches in UEFA competition (D1 L3), keeping five clean sheets.
The Dutch club have won 13 of their last 15 two-legged European ties.