Tottenham Hotspur vs AZ Alkmaar Europa League preview: Back on schedule

Despite a slow start, Tottenham Hotspur ran well at the weekend, leaving the international break with a solid win and helping them overcome defeat at Brighton. This makes it six wins out of seven since mid-September in all competitions, including the Europa League, which continues at home against AZ Alkmaar on Thursday.

Exiting the league stage was never the goal (or concern) for this club, as Spurs remain the betting favorites to win the entire competition. However, getting work done early is definitely better than future stress, and what happens in the middle of the week can carry over to the weekends, so the results so far are encouraging. Tottenham appear to be back on track and another win would further the mission.

Tottenham Hotspur (T-3, 6 points) vs. AZ Alkmaar (T-15, 3 points)

Date: Thursday, October 24th
Time: 3pm ET, 8pm UK
Location: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London
TV: Paramount+ (US), TNT Sports 1 (UK)

AZ have split their two Europa League games so far, beating future Tottenham opponents Elfsborg and losing to Bilbao, which was to be expected. The Dutch team last appeared in the competition in 2020/21 but have played regularly in the Conference League since then, including a loss to West Ham in the 2022/23 semi-final.

Spurs have not yet played against AZ in European competition, but have obviously struggled against many other teams from the Netherlands. The most recent encounter was a split with Vitesse in the infamous 2021/22 Conference League group, while Tottenham faced PSV and of course Ajax in that magical 2018/19 Champions League win.

Parrot back

When there are draws the first thing everyone looks for is a narrative and Tottenham certainly got one against AZ. Former academy star Troy Parrott returns to north London following a £6.7million move this summer. He leads the team with five goals this year, four of which come in one game; He also scored the winning goal from the penalty spot against Elfsborg.

Parrott never quite lived up to the hype with the Spurs, but it would be so fitting to see him return and make an impact like Marcus Edwards did a few seasons ago. However, AZ were only able to muster 0.4 xG against Bilbao and shouldn't cause too many problems for the Tottenham defense. However, there are persistent flaws that still need to be ironed out and that task will be made even more difficult in a rotated defense that is likely to feature the likes of Ben Davies, Archie Gray and Radu Dragusin, who is returning from suspension.

Glass half full

The opening days of the Europa League can often feel more like an obligation than a joy, and the temptation is to simply fast-forward to the knockout rounds. However, that really shouldn't be the case this season, as Spurs (finally!) have the depth to make replacing substitutes feel like an opportunity rather than an avoidance, and there are a few players at the top in particular , which could use a few minutes.

My eyes are on Richarlison after the Brazilian returned from injury with a brief cameo appearance on Saturday. He is clearly the replacement for Dominic Solanke, but there are still plenty of minutes left and the Europa League is a place where he can really celebrate. The supporting cast may be a step down from what he enjoyed last season, but he has a great chance of getting on the scoresheet on Thursday against an overwhelmed team.