AZ Alkmaar are ready to host Tottenham Hotspur in their Europa League round of 16 first-leg clash, and both teams will look for an advantage.
AZ Alkmaar will have hoped to get into shape, the sort of form that requires them to beat a top opposition like Tottenham Hotspur. However, Maarten Martens will have the weekend’s loss against Herenveen in the back of his mind when facing one of the Europa League favourites in, Spurs.
On the other hand, AZ have the momentum in the competition and even the experience of beating a top opposition in the most recent round. The Eredivisie side beat Turkish champions Galatasaray in their playoffs round, winning by an aggregate of 6-3 in the two-legged clash. They will want to face Tottenham with the same enthusiasm.
Meanwhile, Ange Postecoglou will want his Tottenham Hotspur team to show a different side to their game and continue their good run in the Europa League this season. Spurs comfortably finished fourth and qualified for the round of 16 without needing a playoffs round to come here.
Postecoglou will be particularly keen to progress in this competition, as this is the only hope for silverware this season. Spurs were knocked out of the FA Cup, and there is not much hope left in the Premier League of making it into a prominent European place. There is plenty of competition in the league ahead, as Spurs are currently 13th in the standings and ten points behind the nearest European place.
Tottenham are considered one of the bookmakers’ favourites to win the competition and will probably face tougher opposition ahead. The immediate concern will be making the best of the first leg encounter with AZ and taking a solid enough lead back to North London for the reverse leg.
Spurs do come into this one after a narrow loss against Manchester City, but that may not bother Postecoglou too much. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the upcoming meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
AZ Alkmaar
Maarten Martens will have a few key players either out of the contest or in considerable doubt for this one. Key attacking midfielder Sven Mijnans is undoubtedly ruled out, which will be a massive blow for the Dutch side ahead of this crucial clash.
Jayden Addai will also miss out, while Mexx Meerdink, Ruben van Bommel, and Sam Westerveld are all significant doubts, although there will be a late assessment to determine their participation in the upcoming clash. Martens will continue with a 4-2-3-1 shape for this clash, with Wouter Goes and Alexandre Penetra stationed in the central defensive pairing, while Seiya Maikuma and David Moller Wolfe feature in the full-back roles.
Peer Koopmeiners and Jordy Clasie are the likely starters in the central midfield berths, with Zico Buurmeester featuring in the attacking midfield role. Ernest Poku and Mayckel Lahdo will feature in the wide positions in the attacking third, with former Tottenham man Troy Parrott leading the line for AZ in this considerable tie.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Jayden; Maikuma, Goes, Penetra, Wolfe; Koopmeiners, Clasie; Poku, Buurmeester, Lahdo; Parrott
Tottenham Hotspur
Ange Postecoglou continues to deal with a rather long list of injured players, most of whom will be out of contention for this clash. Dejan Kulusevski has become the latest to suffer a foot problem and will miss this clash against AZ, joining Richarilson and Radu Dragusin on the sidelines. At the same time, Ben Davies remains doubtful about this trip to the Netherlands.
Antonin Kinsky, Timo Werner, Fraser Forster, and Sergio Reguilon are the other four ineligible players who were left out of the UEFA Europa League squad. On the positive side, Postecoglou could have key starters Dominic Solanke, defensive duo Micky van de Ven, and Cristian Romero back in the squad, as the trio could potentially make a matchday squad.
For now, the Australian is not likely to risk either of those for this trip to AZ, meaning Archie Gray and Kevin Danso will start at the heart of the defence while Mathys Tel leads the line for Spurs. James Maddison, Rodrigo Bentancur and Lucas Bergvall are the likely starters in the midfield roles, while Son Heung-min and Brennan Johnson will support Tel in the front three.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3) Vicario; Porro, Gray, Danso, Spence; Bergvall, Bentancur, Maddison; Johnson, Tel, Son
Key Stats
AZ Alkmaar have won six of their last eight games across all competitions.
AZ Alkmaar have won ten of their last 11 games at home in all competitions.
AZ have won only two of their last 19 meetings with English clubs.
Tottenham have won three of their last four games across all competitions.
Tottenham have won seven of their last 11 games in major European competition against Dutch sides.
Player to Watch
Son Heung-min
Embed from Getty Images
The experienced attacker has many doubters this season, and with Tottenham out of all possible competitions, barring the UEFA Europa League, Son needs to step up in a big way. Spurs are still struggling with key absentees, as Postecoglou will look up to his skipper to deliver the goods.
A top-draw performance in the first leg of this upcoming clash will be an excellent way to prove the doubters wrong and set the tempo for the remainder of the Europa League. Tottenham are one of the bookmakers’ favourites to win the competition, although for that to happen, they will need experienced stars like Son right in the thick of the contest to perform and deliver.
Prediction
AZ Alkmaar 1-1 Tottenham Hotspur
AZ Alkmaar have a good enough record on home soil and recently displayed that they can perform at the highest level against top continental opposition with their stellar two-legged win over Galatasaray. However, the prospect of facing a top English opponent will be slightly different to that of the Turkish champions, even though Tottenham have been inconsistent at best for large parts of their season.
On the other hand, Spurs will take any advantage that comes their way in this two-legged affair and will be the happier team should this game end in a draw. The prediction here is that both teams will share the spoils in a low-scoring affair, as both teams are likely to do their best in the tie’s second leg. The Hard Tackle predicts a 1-1 draw.