Tottenham Hotspur will host AZ Alkmaar in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday, looking to continue their impressive run of form in the European competition.
Tottenham Hotspur have picked up two victories in the UEFA Europa League so far, and they will be confident of grinding out another positive result when they host AZ Alkmaar at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the Dutch outfit are coming into this game on the back of a win and a defeat from their two games in the European competition. It will be interesting to see if they can bounce back strongly and pull off an upset upset here.
On current form, Tottenham are certainly the favourites. They have picked up five runs from the last six matches in all competitions. On the other hand, AZ Alkmaar are coming into this contest on the back of four consecutive defeats in all competitions.
The Cheeseheads will have to raise their performance levels massively, and they will need a slice of luck to grind out all three points. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham will be without Wilson Odobert, who is ruled out with a hamstring injury. Son Heung-min missed training today, and he is a major doubt as well. Spurs are likely to rotate their squad ahead of a packed schedule. They are expected to shape up in a 4-3-3 formation, with Fraser Forster in goal.
Archie Gray and Djed Spence are likely to be deployed as the full-backs, and they will look to help out at the back and create goalscoring opportunities going forward as well. Radu Dragusin will start at the heart of the defence defence alongside Ben Davies.
As for the midfield unit, Rodrigo Bentancur will start alongside Pape Matar Sarr and Lucas Bergvall. The Uruguayan international will add defensive cover and drive to the side. Sarr will look to protect the back four and break down opposition attacks. Bergvall will add creativity to the side. Dominic Solanke will lead the line for Tottenham here, with Brennan Johnson and Timo Werner on either side of him.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Forster; Gray, Dragusin, Davies, Spence; Sarr, Bentancur, Bergvall; Johnson, Solanke, Werner
AZ Alkmaar
The visitors are without Bruno Martins Indi, Mees de Wit and Lequincio Zeefuik. AZ Alkmaar are likely to shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation against Tottenham, with Rome-Jayden Owusu-Oduro in goal.
Seiya Maikuma and David Moller Wolfe will start as the full-backs. They will look to protect their side defensively and hit Spurs on the break. Alexandre Penetra and Maxim Dekker will start as the central defenders.
Peer Koopmeiners and Jordy Clasie will start in the midfield pivot, and they will look to add defensive cover and drive to the side. Sven Mijnans will be deployed in the number ten role, and he will look to create opportunities for his teammates in the final third with his passing and vision.
Ibrahim Sadiq and Ruben van Bommel will start in the wide areas. They will look to add pace and flair from the flanks. Troy Parrott will lead the line against his former side.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Owusu-Oduro; Maikuma, Penetra, Dekker, Wolfe; Koopmeiners, Clasie; Sadiq, Mijnans, Van Bommel; Parrott
Key Stats
- AZ Alkmaar have lost their last four matches in all competitions.
- AZ Alkmaar have conceded four goals in the last two Europa League games.
- Tottenham have picked up five wins from six matches in all competitions.
- Tottenham have scored five goals in two Europa League games.
- Tottenham have scored 17 goals in their last six outings.
Player to Watch
Dominic Solanke
The Tottenham striker is our key player to watch out for. He will look to build his confidence and add to his goal tally here. AZ Alkmaar have been quite poor recently, and the Tottenham striker will fancy his chances of getting on the score sheet. He could cause all sorts of problems for the defence with his physicality, link-up play, aerial prowess, and goalscoring ability.
Prediction
Tottenham 2-0 AZ Alkmaar
Tottenham are the better team here and they should be able to grind out all three points. They are in much better form compared to the opposition. They have the confidence and the momentum with them. They should be able to pick up a comfort victory at home. Meanwhile, the away side are completely devoid of form right now. They are struggling and Tottenham are likely to pile further misery on them.