Tottenham Hotspur Vs. AZ Alkmaar Prediction: Spurs Target Saves Season With Tropical Collection

James Madisson, wants to bring trophies to Tottenham Hotspurs this season (photo: x @SpursOfficial)

JAKARTA Tottenham Hotspur will face a tough challenge in the second leg of the Europa League last 16 against AZ Alkmaar on Thursday night March 13 or Friday morning WIB. Spurs had to reverse aggregate downturn after a narrow 0-1 loss in the first leg in the Netherlands, with Lucas Bergvall's own goal being a differentiator.

The winning team from this match will advance to the quarter-finals to face Eintracht Frankfurt or Ajax.

The defeat in the first leg adds to Spurs' poor record in their first away game in European competition. From their previous first nine away games, they only won once against Wolfsburger in 2021.

This match has become very crucial for manager Ange Postecoglou, who is facing great pressure to bring the trophy to North London this season. After being knocked out of the FA Cup and the English League Cup, the Europa League is their only chance to end their title drought since 2008.

Despite being left behind by the aggregate, Spurs are still favorite to qualify. They finished fourth in the group stage and impressed at home, picking up 10 of the 12 points available. Spurs also scored in their last 29 home games in the Europa League, the best record in the history of the competition.

However, defense is still a major concern. They conceded two goals at home to Bournemouth last weekend, before finally rising and holding a 2-2 draw. With unstable domestic performance being ranked 13th Premier League Tottenham must fully focus on Europe.

Spurs have a good record against Dutch clubs, with four wins from the last five games at home. The only defeat came against Ajax in the 2019 Champions League semi-finals, although they ended up qualifying after a dramatic win in Amsterdam.

For AZ Alkmaar, victory in the first leg ended 10 wins without a win against the English club. However, they still had a bad record when they traveled to England, losing nine consecutive matches in a record worst away loss in European competition history.

Maarten Martens' side also had a poor record in away games in European competitions, without a win in the last 10 games. If they fail to win again, they will match the longest bad record in club history.

To increase their chances of qualifying, AZ chose to postpone their Eredivisie match against Waalwijk last weekend in order to prepare for the better. So far, 2025 has been an extraordinary run for the Alkmaar club, which eliminated Galatasaray with aggregate 6-3 in the previous round and also managed to reach the final of the KNVB Beker.

Spurs lost Rodrigo Bentancur, who had to be sidelined due to accumulated yellow cards. However, Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray, who were only backups against Bournemouth, could be a replacement option in midfield.

Good news for Tottenham, Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero have recovered from a long injury and are likely to start in the heart of defense. Radu Dragusin and Ben Davies are ruled out.

Dejan Kulusevski is also not available due to injury, even though he has been involved in 20 goals this season. Richarlison, the winner when he beat AZ in the group stage, is also still absent.

In AZ's camp, Mayckel Lahdo had to be pulled out just 10 minutes after the first leg started, and his replacement, Denso Kasius, was also injured. The two of them joinedmply Mijnans and Ruben van Bommel on the cast list.

Jayden Addai and Mexx Meerdink have also not recovered, leaving AZ short of options on the front lines. However, Troy Parrott, a former Spurs player, is likely to lead the attacking line and is trying to score a goal against his former club.

Tottenham have a strong home record in the Europa League and will most likely strike from the start to catch up. AZ had a poor record when they travel to England, but they came with high confidence after a win in the first leg.

Tottenham Hotspur Lineup Prediction (4-3-3): Vicario; Pedro Porro, Van de Ven, Romero, Udogie; Bergvall, Gray, Maddison; Johnson, Solanke, Son

AZ Alkmaar (4-3-3):Owu-Oduro;Mikuma, Goes, Penetra, Wolfe; Clasie, Burmeester, Koopmeiners; Poku, Parrott, Sadiq

Predictions: Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 AZ Alkmaar (Aggregate 2-2, Tottenham won over extra time)