AZ Alkmaar Vs. Tottenham Hotspur Predictions: Facing Difficult Seasons, The Lilywhites Is Under Pressure

Spurs still have a chance to save their season. (photo: x @SpursOfficial)

Tottenham Hotspur, who are the main favorites to win the Europa League this season, will travel to the Netherlands to face AZ Alkmaar in the first leg of the last 16 at the AFAS Stadium on Thursday 6 March or Friday morning WIB.

Spurs managed to finish fourth out of 36 teams in the league phase, while AZ had to go through the playoffs with a 6-3 aggregate win over Galatasaray to reach the knockout stages.

But Tottenham Hotspur is facing a difficult period this season. Since early December, Ange Postecoglou's side have played 23 games in all competitions and suffered 11 defeats. Most recently, they lost 1-0 to Manchester City in the Premier League last week.

Spurs are now in danger of failing to finish in the top 10 of the Premier League, let alone picking up tickets to European competitions next season. They are currently ranked 13th in the standings with a difference of nine points from the 10th position occupied by Aston Villa. With only 11 games remaining, hopes for finishing in the European zone are getting thinner.

With a failure in two domestic tournaments, Postecoglou is now under pressure to bring Tottenham to the Europa League title. The Australian manager previously stated that he "always won something in his second year".

However, Spurs still have a chance to save their season. They closed the league phase with two wins over Hoffenheim (3-2) and Elfsborg (3-0) and beat AZ Alkmaar 1-0 in the previous meeting on the third matchday.

Statistics show that Tottenham have a pretty good record against Dutch teams. They have won seven of their last 11 matches against the Eredivisie club in European competition (D2, L2), including a dramatic 3-2 win over Ajax in May 2019 which brought them to the Champions League final. However, Spurs have only won three of their last 18 away games in the knockout stages of European competition (D5, L10).

AZ Alkmaar's Performance

On the other hand, AZ Alkmaar also experienced inconsistent results after defeating Galatasaray in the playoffs. They won a narrow 1-0 win over Fortuna Sittard at the Eredivisie and advanced to the KNVB Beker final after eliminating Hercules on penalties. However, the 3-1 loss to Heerenveen last week saw them fail to climb to the top three positions of the Eredivisie.

Currently, AZ is sixth in the Dutch league standings with a difference of three points from third, which is the Europa League zone. They must rise immediately if they want to return to European competition next season.

Despite having a bad record against England's team just two wins from 19 meetings AZ have high productivity in the Europa League this season scoring 19 goals, more than most of the other teams in this competition. If they could add one more goal, they would set a record for scoring 20+ goals in European competition for the first time since the 2006-07 season (26 goals).

The home side will lose their flagship attacking midfielder, behind Mijnans, who suffered an Achilles tendon injury. Jayden Addai is also still absent due to an ankle injury, while Ruben van Bommel and Mexx Meerdink are still doubtful.

Zico Buurmeester is likely to replace Mijnans as attacking midfielders, in collaboration with midfield duo Jordy Clasie and Pee Koopmeiners.

On the front lines, Troy Parrott, who is a former Tottenham player, will be a major threat to Spurs. The Irish striker has scored 17 goals in all competitions this season, including four goals in the Europa League.

Meanwhile, Spurs will not be strengthened by Dejan Kulusevski who is still recovering after being seen wearing a leg shield. Radu Dragusin is also still long-term absent due to an ACL injury.

Dominic Solanke (knee injury) and Richarlison (chip injury) are not ready to return, while Antonin Kinsky, Fraser Forster, Timo Werner, and Sergio Reguilon are not included in the Tottenham Europa League squad.

However, there is little hope for Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero to return after the two have started training. Ben Davies will also be assessed for his fitness ahead of the match.

Two new recruits in January, Kevin Danso and Mathies Tel, have the potential to make their European debut for Spurs. Meanwhile, team captain Son Heung-min will lead the front line. Son has scored seven goals in the knockout stages of European competition with Tottenham, only losing to Dimitar Berbatov (12 goals) as Spurs' top scorer in European competitions in the century.

Tottenham are coming at a high pressure to win this game, given they are favorite champions. However, Europe's Spurs away record in the knockout stages is still less convincing, and AZ has a pretty solid home record in the Europa League.

AZ will rely on speed and creativity in their midfield to dismantle Tottenham's defenses. If Troy Parrott is able to perform sharply, the hosts can give a surprise.

However, Tottenham's individual qualities remain superior, especially with Son Heung-min's presence which can be different in this match.

Estimated Lineup Of Players

AZ Alkmaar: Owu-Oduro; Maikuma, Goes, Penetra, De Wit; Clasie, Koopmeiners; Poku, Burmeester, Lahdo; Parrott

Tottenham Hotspur: Vicario; Spence, Gray, Danso, Udogie; Maddison, Bissouma, Sarr; Johnson, Tel, Son

Score Prediction: AZ Alkmaar 1-2 Tottenham Hotspur