Tottenham Hotspur, one of the favorites to win the competition, is on the hunt for a long-awaited trophy as they prepare to host struggling AZ Alkmaar in the Europa League on Thursday.
After a tough start to the season, Spurs bounced back with a convincing 4-1 victory over West Ham United on Saturday. They are currently sitting atop their Europa League group with maximum points.
Following a disappointing loss to Brighton before the international break, Tottenham desperately needed a strong performance at home. Despite an early setback where West Ham took the lead, Spurs equalized before halftime and then scored three more goals in just eight minutes during the second half, securing a routine win.
Even with that victory, thoughts of missed opportunities linger, as Spurs are still four points off the top four in the Premier League. Manager Ange Postecoglou has made it clear that winning a trophy this season is a priority, and given their solid start in the Europa League, they are in a good position.
In their last seven matches, the only blemish on Spurs' record was the loss at Brighton. They won both of their opening Europa League matches, including a resilient 3-0 victory against Qarabag, even after going down to 10 men early in the game. They followed that up with a professional win over Ferencvaros in Budapest.
Tottenham remains one of five teams with a perfect record in the Europa League, sitting just behind Lazio and Lyon on goal difference. Given their impressive home form having won all six Europa League matches at their new stadium without conceding a goal—extending their winning streak to three seems very likely.
Across all European competitions, Spurs are formidable at home, boasting an unbeaten streak of 14 matches at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with 12 wins.
On the other hand, AZ Alkmaar could not have chosen a worse time for this challenging match. Under manager Maarten Martens, the team is in the midst of a four-game losing streak, their worst run in 22 years. After starting the Europa League campaign with a win over Elfsborg, they've struggled against tougher opponents, losing to Athletic Bilbao and PSV Eindhoven.
Recent home defeats to Utrecht and Fortuna Sittard have dropped AZ to fifth place in the league, putting them closer to the relegation zone than to PSV. This is quite surprising, especially considering they started the season with 16 points from their first 18.
Moreover, AZ has a dismal record in England, having lost all eight of their previous European matches there, conceding at least twice in each. They’ve also lost five of their last six away games in European competition, which doesn’t bode well ahead of their trip to London.
INJURIES & SUSPENSION
Spurs will be without Wilson Odobert and Djed Spence for this match, which is a setback for Postecoglou’s plans since both players could have been in line to start, allowing some first-choice players a break.
One such player is Pedro Porro, who has logged 90 minutes in six consecutive games, including the away match in Hungary and two appearances for Spain during the international break.
After serving a suspension during the win against Ferencvaros, Radu Dragusin will return and is expected to start, giving Postecoglou a chance to rest central defenders Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven.
AZ striker Troy Parrott, who recently left Spurs, will return to the club where he spent seven years, hoping to add to his tally in Europe after scoring the winner against Elfsborg.
Ibrahim Sadiq is doubtful after picking up an injury while on international duty with Ghana, joining Bruno Martins Indi, Mexx Merdink, and Wouter Goes on the sidelines.
David Moller Wolfe’s red card from the weekend won’t impact his availability for this match, but he will be suspended for AZ’s game against Go Ahead Eagles on Sunday.
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS
Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:
Vicario; Gray, Dragusin, Davies, Udogie; Sarr, Bentancur, Bergvall; Moore, Richarlison, Werner
AZ Alkmaar possible starting lineup:
Owusu-Oduro; Maikuma, Penetra, Dekker, Wolfe; Clasie, Mijnans, Koopmeiners; Buurmeester, Parrott, Van Bommel
EXPERT PREDICTION
Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 AZ Alkmaar
Spurs have appeared calm and in control in the Europa League so far, even after facing an early red card against Qarabag and conceding a late goal to Ferencvaros.
Given AZ's poor recent form, their difficulties in England, and Spurs' impressive home record in this competition, it seems likely that Tottenham will come out on top in this matchup.
