AZ Alkmaar vs Tottenham Hotspur

AFAS Stadion is the venue as AZ Alkmaar and injury-hit Tottenham Hotspur go head-to-head in the first leg of their Europa League last-16 tie.

AZ Alkmaar’s first appearance in the Europa League last-16 in over a decade pits them against familiar foes. Indeed, the Dutch outfit slumped to a narrow 1-0 loss at Tottenham in this season’s league stage, registering a fifth consecutive defeat to Premier League opposition since the beginning of 2022/23. As a result, AZ’s all-time record against English clubs in European football looks dreadful (W2, D5, L12), painting a bleak picture ahead of this two-legged tie. If it’s any consolation, they’ve been prolific on home soil, bagging 12 goals in five Europa League home games this season, including four against Galatasaray in the knockout playoff round (4-1). With four of those five matches seeing both teams score, action on both ends of the field looks likely.

Meanwhile, Tottenham dodged the playoff round thanks to a near-faultless eight-game record in the league stage (W5, D2, L1), bookended by back-to-back victories against Elfsborg and Hoffenheim, both of which saw them score precisely three goals. However, Ange Postecoglou’s men have been synonymous with inconsistency this term. After consecutive wins against Manchester United and Ipswich, they slumped to a 1-0 home loss to Manchester City last time out, posting a third defeat in six competitive games since the start of February (W3). Worryingly, Spurs’ defensive frailties have seen them concede on all four Europa League travels this season. But they had a prolific frontline to bail them out of trouble almost every time (W2, D1, L1).