Tottenham Hotspur vs AZ Alkmaar Predictions

• Both teams have scored in four of Tottenham’s last six Europa League games
• Both teams have scored in six of AZ’s last eight Europa League matches
• AZ starlet Kees Smit scored a hat-trick at the weekend

Spurs and AZ are hard to split

Tottenham and AZ look hard to split when it comes to qualification for the Europa League quarter-finals after the Dutch club’s deserved 1-0 home win in the first leg. This will be the third meeting of the clubs in this season’s competition with the home team winning each of the previous two thanks to a solitary goal.

Ange Postecoglu made nine changes for the League phase meeting in November with plenty of fringe men given a start. Little did he know then that most of those players would become regulars in the ensuing months as injuries bit into his squad.

Spurs have got some big names back in recent weeks with Guglielmo Vicario and Cristian Romero starting Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Bournemouth while Micky van de Ven featured for the final half-hour. However, the same flaws that have dogged Spurs this season were on show again in an untidy display that would put them out if it was repeated on Thursday.

Both teams to score in second leg

AZ got their Eredivisie match postponed so they should be fresher and well prepared for what awaits them in London. Maarten Martens’ side showed their away potential with a 2-2 draw at Galatasaray that sealed their 6-3 aggregate victory in the knockout phase.

They have plenty of energy, pace and guile to combat Spurs’ bold approach and could cause a shock if they get the first goal at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Spurs have to score and will surely create more than they did in Alkmaar, so the both teams to score option is attractive here.

Both teams have scored in four of Tottenham’s last six Europa League games and also in six of AZ’s last eight Europa League matches, including both legs of their knockout phase playoff against Galatasaray. A 2-1 home victory in 90 minutes could be on the cards with either a late AZ strike to take the tie to extra-time or a Tottenham comeback only to lose on penalties offering the most Spursy scenarios.