Ange Postecoglou showed his cards a bit with a rotated lineup against Manchester City, despite no match over the weekend for Tottenham Hotspur. The manager knows that this season — and potentially his future — rests on the Europa League, where Spurs remain the betting favorites to lift the trophy. However, all cups leave little room for error, and it only takes one bad night for everything to fall apart.
Tottenham absolutely cannot let that happen against AZ Alkmaar in the Round of 16. Spurs are widely expected to advance, but they will head into Thursday’s first leg taking nothing for granted. This is a rematch of a 1-0 League Phase encounter back in October, but the stakes are much higher this time around. The visitors do not need to wrap up the tie in one leg, though heading back to North London with a solid advantage would certainly be welcome.
Round of 16 (1st Leg): AZ Alkmaar vs. Tottenham Hotspur
Date: Thursday, March 6
Time: 12:45 pm ET, 5:45 pm UK
Location: AFAS Stadion, Alkmaar, Netherlands
TV: Paramount+ (USA), TNT Sports 3 (UK)
AZ Alkmaar finished the League Phase in 19th place, posting a 3-2-3 record, including a win over Roma in January. That advancement led to an upset of Galatasaray in the Knockout Playoff, which spared Tottenham from seeing more of Victor Osimhen; the first leg in the Netherlands saw Galatasaray go down to 10 men, and AZ capitalized with a 4-1 win. This was enough to boost them into the Round of 16 and set the stage for another opportunity to play spoiler.
It would be surprising if more than three starters remained the same from when these two teams met in North London. Players like Fraser Forster, Ben Davies, Timo Werner, Mikey Moore, and Richarlison all rotated in as Postecoglou had limited options at the time. Though the performance was not the prettiest, it got the job done, and an xG spread of 1.9 to 0.4 highlighted the gap between Spurs and their opponents, even with the fringe players stepping in.
Thursday could see the return of the two starting center backs and two key strikers, though some of them might only feature in the second leg. Regardless, Spurs have received reinforcements across nearly every other position, and the names on this week’s team sheet should be more than enough to get the desired result. In a perfect world, these returnees would not even be needed for the home leg, but they are expected to be available then if they are not ready this week.
Avoid the pitfalls
The script here is no different than any other Europa League knockout tie. AZ has recently shown an uptick in scoring, but they looked relatively harmless in North London and are only seventh in goals scored in the Eredivisie. Still, this team is obviously capable of putting the ball in the net — six different players scored against Galatasaray, including Troy Parrott (!!) — so Spurs will need to put in a solid defensive performance. Fortunately, there are enough quality pieces at the back to inspire some confidence.
If the defense does its job, Tottenham’s attack only needs a few clinical moments to take control. Even without the potential involvement of Dominic Solanke or Richarlison, there are several viable attacking options. It was great to see Wilson Odobert back in action, and Mathys Tel has been highly motivated to make an impact. These two, along with Moore, could use the next two weeks to prove their worth and secure valuable minutes down the stretch.
With a potential matchup against Ajax or Eintracht Frankfurt on the horizon, and teams like Lazio, Roma, and Manchester United (lol) alive as well, it can be tempting to look ahead with three rounds remaining. However, Galatasaray saw firsthand what happens when an underdog blitzes at home, and Spurs absolutely must avoid this trap. Postecoglou has recognized the weight of this competition and is playing his chips strategically. Starting with Thursday, excellence is a requirement for everyone involved from here on out.