By Ian King
Since the first leg
A mis-hit cross and a penalty caused by a rush of blood to the head of an opposing goalkeeper was enough to salvage a point for Spurs against Bournemouth on Sunday, but there was little else positive to take from the match beyond having somehow scrambled from 2-0 down to get a draw.
AZ haven’t played since the first leg of this fixture, but they already have a better chance of picking up some silverware and qualifying for Europe than Spurs this season having booked their place in the KNVB Cup final against Go Ahead Eagles. They’re the bookmakers favourites to win that Cup final, which is set to be played in Rotterdam in April.
A third meeting of the season
These two hadn’t met prior to this season’s Europa League, with Spurs beating AZ back in the league phase, but then losing that first leg in the Netherlands, with both games ending 1-0.
Generally, Spurs fair well against Dutch opposition and have only lost five of 23 previous meetings. Arguably the greatest recent night in their history came in Amsterdam in 2019, when Lucas Moura was the unlikely hero of an incredible Champions League semi-final second leg which they won 3-2 to sneak through on goal difference. AZ’s only previous appearance in a European final was against English opposition; Ipswich Town in 1981. They lost a two-legged final 5-4 on aggregate. They’ve lost all nine of their previous trips to England.
Key players
One small bright spot from the Bournemouth match for Spurs was the return of Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero following lengthy injuries. The Spurs defence has missed van de Ven’s pace and Romero’s bite very much indeed, these last few weeks. For AZ, there is that one connection to Spurs. Troy Parrott came through the youth system at Spurs but only made two appearances from them before eventually being sold to AZ last summer. He’s scored 17 goals in all competitions for them this season, more than anyone has managed for Spurs.
Team News
Rodrigo Bentancur is suspended for Spurs following a yellow card in the first leg. Archie Gray or Lucas Bergvall should deputise. Dejan Kulusevski and Richarlison are also injured. For AZ, Mayckel Lahdo and Denso Kasius both had to be withdrawn from the first leg and will be missing this time around, while Sven Mijnan, Ruben van Bommel, Jayden Addai and Mexx Meerdink are also injured.
Prediction
There is something deliciously Spurs-esque about dedicating your season to the cups and then getting knocked out of both domestic ones in the space of four days, and the upshot of this is that this match has taken on a distended importance to their season. Getting past Spurs would be a major scalp for AZ and they’ve already demonstrated themselves as a decent cup team this season. Spurs going 1-0 up, chasing a second goal, and getting caught on the hop by an equaliser and eliminated by a 1-1 draw.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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