AZ Alkmaar v Tottenham: UEFA Europa League Friday preview

Ange Postecoglou's Tottenham head to the Netherlands in the early hours of Friday morning to take on AZ Alkmaar in the first leg of their last-16 tie in the UEFA Europa League.

The Aussie coach put pressure on himself earlier on in the season when he defiantly told reporters: "I don't usually win things, I always win things in my second year (in a job)."

Having done just that with Brisbane Roar, Yokohama F Marinos, Celtic and the Australia national team, Postecoglou has just one chance left to keep his record intact, with Spurs having lost in the EFL Cup semi-finals and been knocked out of the FA Cup in the fourth round by Aston Villa.

The Lilywhites are way down in 13th place on the Premier League ladder, so the UEFA Europa League is definitely the last-chance saloon for Postecoglou and his players.

AZ Alkmaar v Tottenham betting preview

Parrott the focal point for AZ

AZ head into this game in sixth place in the Dutch Eredivisie, but only three points adrift of third-placed FC Utrecht, so a place in next season’s UEFA Champions League remains a possibility.

Key to their efforts has been former Spurs striker Troy Parrott, who has netted 16 goals so far this season, having impressed on loan at Excelsior last season before making a permanent move away from north London last summer.

Twelve of Parrott’s goals have come in the domestic league, while he has four to his name in the UEFA Europa League, including strikes against Roma and Galatasaray and he is 2.87 to add another on Friday morning.

And, while Spurs qualified automatically, AZ were hugely impressive in booking their last-16 spot thanks to a 6-3 aggregate success against Gala in the playoff round.

Maarten Martens’ side were 6-1 ahead on aggregate before a couple of late goals in the second leg in Turkey, having ended the league phase down in 19th place after three wins, two draws and three defeats.

AZ do have pedigree in this competition, having reached the UEFA Cup final back in 1981.

There they were beaten 5-4 on aggregate by Ipswich Town, while they also made the semi-finals of the Conference League in 2023 and were knocked out by another English team, West Ham.

Injuries starting to clear for Spurs

Tottenham may have endured a tough season to date, but it is certainly a valid point that a lengthy injury list has hampered them at key moments.

The catalogue of absentees is now starting to shorten, but defensively Spurs still look set to be without Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven and Ben Davies for this match, while Radu Dragusin is sidelined long-term due to a knee injury.

Their attacking options are also limited due to the probable absences of both Dominic Solanke and Richarlison, while Postecoglou has Lucas Bergvall, Rodrigo Bentancur, Yves Bissouma and Dejan Kulusevski all one booking away from a suspension.

The Aussie has seen Guglielmo Vicario, Destiny Udogie, James Maddison, Wilson Odobert and Brennan Johnson all return from injury in recent times and a weekend off should mean the Spurs squad are well rested and ready for the test in Alkmaar.

Postecoglou also has January recruits defender Kevin Danso and forward Mathys Tel available for the first time in the UEFA Europa League, so he does has options over selection.

These two sides met during the league phase of the competition earlier this season, with a Richarlison penalty earning the hosts a 1-0 win the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in late October last year.

Spurs - 5.00 to win the UEFA Europa League this season - would probably settle for a draw on Friday and a 1-1 final scoreline is priced at 7.00, while a one-goal win for the Lilywhites is a 4.33 shot.

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AZ Alkmaar v Tottenham odds

AZ Alkmaar - 3.40
Draw - 3.60
Tottenham - 2.05

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.