Tottenham vs AZ Alkmaar Preview – Prediction, Lineups And Analysis | OneFootball

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Fixture: Tottenham Hotspur vs AZ Alkmaar Competition: Europa League Kick-off: 20:00 UK time Venue: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Tottenham Hotspur’s Europa League round of 16 second leg match against AZ Alkmaar has been widely termed as a ‘win or bust’ fixture. It has been a season to forget for Ange Postecoglou’s men where they have struggled to get into the top half of the Premier League table.

Spurs were knocked out of the EFL Cup by Liverpool and have also seen their FA Cup dreams being dashed by Aston Villa.

The Europa League therefore represents the only hope for the London-based team to win their first trophy since 2008 and Postecoglou has urged his side’s leaders to step up in the AZ clash tonight.

The job will not be that easy though as Spurs will have to overcome a 1-0 deficit before putting the final nail in AZ’s coffin.

For the Dutch side, the motivation will be high given that they are standing on the threshold of history. Though there will still be a long road still to travel following progression from the round of 16, beating a team of Tottenham’s stature to go through would serve as a huge motivation.

Fans at the Tottenham Stadium could therefore be in for a footballing treat under the lights, but regardless of the outcome, they have been told to stick with Postecoglou by former Spurs coach Anthony Hudson.

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AZ Alkmaar: LDDWLD

Key Men

Tottenham Hotspur

Given the need for Tottenham to get more than one goal on the night, their attacking players are going to hold the key. Skipper Heung-min Son, who has not been in his usual goalscoring best, will be expected to stand up when it matters.

Postecoglou will also count on Spurs’ front man Dominic Solanke, who has just returned to action following a knee injury.

Defence has been the club’s Achilles heel this season. Injuries in that particular area has made Tottenham suffer. The club welcomed Cristian Romero back to the starting line-up in the match against Bournemouth at the weekend. He might hold the key when the home side come under pressure.

Tottenham’s players will be prepared to see a familiar face when they come out on to the pitch on Thursday. Troy Parrott is one of their own having flourished from the academy but never really getting the chance to impress.

He has been in good goalscoring form for Alkmaar and after missing his shooting boots in the last match, Parrott will be eager to show his childhood club what they missed out on when they sold him.

The Dutch club’s 20-year-old goalkeeper Rome-Jayden Owusu-Oduro can also play a key role in keeping the Tottenham attackers at bay and a good performance could see him write his name into the AZ history books.

Prediction

Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou has a lot resting on the outcome of this match and is surely expected to go all out at the visiting team to get a favourable result.

He is not expected to experiment a lot with his team and the Spurs senior players will know well what their role will be.

For visiting manager Maarten Martens the job will be simple – try and keep Owusu-Oduro’s goal safe. One that job is done, they can go out to try and hurt their opponents.

Spurs will surely score, but AZ Alkmaar went to Galatasaray and got a draw. That should serve as a warning for the hosts.