A big chance for the visitors!
Penetra manages to get just in front of Davies in the penalty area and heads the ball goalwards. Tottenham goalkeeper Forster is at full-stretch and makes an important save to deny AZ the first goal.
The visitors quickly shoot again but the effort is miles off target.
Werner breaks down the left and times his run perfectly to get himself in behind. He has time to position himself and then goes for goal. However his effort is very timid - he shoots straight into the hands of the goalkeeper who easily collects the ball.
The attempt of a player perhaps very low on confidence.
Maddison weaves through the AZ backline and finds a good position just on the edge of the six-yard box. He is in the position to shoot but instead opts to cross to Moore who awaits near the goal line.
An AZ defender manages to get a head to it and sends the ball away from danger.
The home side could be at danger of letting AZ grow more and more into this game as the first half progresses.
Despite Spurs dominating in the opening stages, the visitors are starting to pose more of a threat - particularly down the left-hand side where Poku is currently winning the battle against Gray.
The first real chance of the game for the visitors.
Kasius drives down the right and plays a perfect cross into the box. His effort sweeps pass the Spurs backline but, unluckily for the visitors, none of their players can get a head or foot to the ball and it goes behind for a goal kick.
There’s an injury issue for AZ with Ruben van Bommel down on the floor.
He is the son of former PSV and Bayern Munich midfielder Mark van Bommel, who is in attendance at the game tonight.
After a quick assessment, van Bommel is led off the pitch and heads straight down the tunnel. AZ are briefly down to 10 men.
While Tottenham have fared well against Dutch opponents in the past, it’s a less positive picture for AZ Alkmaar who haven’t beaten a Premier League side since 2007.
Spurs have won 10 games and lost six against Dutch competitors in European competitions - with one of their most renowned feats being the comeback win against Ajax which propelled them to the Champions League final in 2018/19.
AZ will certainly hope for improvement when it comes to their record against English opponents with 11 losses, five draws, and just two wins. Their last success was a 2-0 home victory against Newcastle United in 2007. Since then, they have had nine games against English opponents without a triumph.
Tonight marks the first meeting between the two sides.
Ange Postecoglou has opted to start a few of his youngest players in tonight’s fixture with 17-year-old Mikey Moore and 18-year-olds Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray all getting the nod.
As reported by Sam Dean in the summer, Gray’s arrival [in August] was part of a wider strategy, now overseen by technical director Johan Lange, which has seen the club move out of one cycle and into the thrilling start of the next.
Since last summer’s transfer window, when Postecoglou was appointed as head coach, the average age of the new signings at Spurs has been younger than 22. This season, alongside Gray, they have added promising Swedish midfielder Lucas Bergvall, who is also 18, and winger Wilson Odobert, 19, who has joined from Burnley.
Spurs are betting on young talent. Micky van de Ven (£43 million), Brennan Johnson (£47.5 million) and Radu Dragusin (£25 million) all arrived in the last year, aged 22 or younger. There are others to come: Croatian defender Luka Vuskovic, 17, joins the club next year, as does South Korean forward Yang Min-Hyeok, 18.
Read Sam’s full story here.
Ange Postecoglou has named by far his weakest Tottenham team yet for tonight’s Europa League game against AZ Alkmaar. Only James Maddison and Destiny Udogie start from the team that started against West Ham United.
That may not reflect too well on Maddison, who was replaced at half-time against the Hammers. Teenager Mikey Moore is starting and he is 19 years younger than 36-year-old goalkeeper Fraser Forster, who has come in for Guglielmo Vicario.
It has been a tough start to the season for Richarlison who has been sidelined with various injuries and has so far only racked up the minutes in substitute appearances.
He has his chance to prove his worth to Ange Postecoglou tonight in his first start of the season, with Dominic Solanke dropped to the bench and Son Heung-Min out of action.
Postecoglou has once again opted for a youthful approach to the European fixture with the inclusions of 17-year-old Mikey Moore and Lucas Bergvall, 18, in his starting XI. The pair have impressed on the European stage thus far, as has Will Lankshear who is on the bench tonight.
James Maddison captains the home side and second-choice goalkeeper Fraser Forster is the preferred option over Guglielmo Vicario. Postecoglou has opted to give a few of his trusty starting players a rest this evening, with the likes of Pedro Porro, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Dejan Kulusevski, and Brennan Johnson on the bench.
Welcome to our coverage of the Europa League as Spurs host AZ Alkmaar at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Spurs’ slightly underwhelming start to the Premier League season reached a crescendo just before the international break, when the side capitulated against Brighton in a loss which manager Ange Postecoglou described as “unacceptable”.
However, a much-needed 4-1 win against West Ham at the weekend had fans feeling much more positive about their team’s prospects heading into this Europa League matchday three clash.
The hosts are one of the competition’s favourites and have made a perfect start to the league stage, registering two wins in their opening two matches.
They are one of five clubs to still have a 100 per cent record in the Europa League this season and will look to continue that streak on home turf tonight. Recent history is certainly in their favour, with the team having won the six Europa League games they have played at their new stadium without conceding a goal.
Captain Heung-Min Son will be rested for tonight’s game, whilst full-backs Djed Spence and Sergio Reguilon are ineligible. Wilson Odobert and Radu Drahgusin will both be available, with the former returning from a hamstring problem and the latter having served a one-match ban in the previous fixture.
Richarlison could be handed his first start of the season in tonight’s clash. The Brazilian has been out of action on multiple occasions this year with various injuries and has often found himself sidelined with Dominic Solanke the preferred starting striker for Postecoglou’s side. If he starts, the forward will be eager to continue building his fitness and proving his value to his coach.
And a familiar face returns to north London as Troy Parrott, who joined the Dutch club in the summer, will be in AZ’s matchday squad.
The visitors are in the midst of a four-game losing run, with their most recent victory being their first Europa League fixture against IF Elfsborg in September. It is certainly not the ideal time for Maarten Martens’ side to face one of their trickiest European opponents.
The game kicks off at 8pm BST and we will have team news for you shortly.