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Spurs Odyssey Preview - Spurs v AZ Alkmaar, 13.03.25

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Spurs' record in Europe:-
The official crest of Tottenham Hotspur
U.E.F.A Champions League
 
 P  W   D   L   F - A
53 22  12  19  90 - 75

(Finalists 2019)
 
European Cup
P   W   D   L   F - A
8   4   1   3  21 - 13
 
(Semi-Finalists 1962)
 
European Cup Winners Cup
 
P   W   D   L   F - A
33  20  5   8  65 - 34
 
(Winners 1963)
 
UEFA Cup/Europa League
 P    W   D   L   F - A
162  93  39  30  330-144 

(Winners 1972, 1984
 Finalists 1974)

Europa Conference League
 P    W   D   L   F - A
 7    3   1   3  14 - 9  
+ Forfeited one game due to Covid - 09/12/21)
The club logo of AZ Alkmaar
 
Total
 P   W   D   L   F - A
263 142 58  63  520-275

Final Europa League Placings

           Pos  P   W  D  L   F-A  GD  Pts
Spurs       4   8   5  2  1  17-9   8  17
AZ Alkmaar 19   8   3  2  3  13-13  0  11

Europa League Placings in full

AZ Alkmaar Europa League record 2024/25

League phase:-

AZ Alkmaar    3-2   Elfsborg
Ath. Bilbao   2-0   AZ Alkmaar
Spurs         1-0   AZ Alkmaar
AZ Alkmaar    3-1   Fenerbahce
AZ Alkmaar    1-1   Galatasaray
Ludogorets    2-2   AZ Alkmaar
AZ Alkmaar    1-0   Roma
Ferencvaros   4-3   AZ Alkmaar

Play-off Round

AZ Alkmaar    4-1   Galatasary
Galatasary    2-2   AZ Alkmaar

Round of 16

AZ Alkmaar    1-0   Spurs
AZ Alkmaar v Spurs - Last week's preview

Do or die for Spurs

European night at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

It's do or die for Spurs tomorrow night (8pm - TNT) in our second leg Round of 16 game against AZ Alkmaar. The two teams will be getting very familiar with each other, as this will be our third meeting of the season. We certainly need to see a far better performance by our team than was seen last week, when we lost 1-0.

Rodrigo Bentancur got himself booked and is therefore suspended from this game, but of course Ange Postecoglou's squad is no longer threadbare as it has been for too much of this season. Rumour has it that Kevin Danso was injured in Sunday's game against Bournemouth. Unless both Romero and Van de Ven are fit to start, Archie Gray might get a game the day after his 19th birthday. Ben Davies must be close to match fitness too.

AZ didn't have a game last weekend, so will be more rested than Spurs, and perhaps re-inforced by players who were not fit last week. It's up to Spurs to play more directly and aggressively and get the ball sooner to our front men.

Eintracht Frankfurt (2-1 up after last week's first leg away) or Ajax await the winners of our tie, which could go to extra-time and penalties if Spurs manage to draw level. We have played both possible opponents in recent years, but must first earn the right to meet the victor again.

Our whole season and the chance of European football next season hangs on this one game. Let's hope the crowd gets behind the team.

This is our seventh season in The Europa League since it replaced the UEFA Cup in 2009. We also slipped into the Round of 32 in 2017, after finishing third in the Champions League Group table. We've only succeeded in reaching the quarter-finals in one of our four previous Round of 16 ties. That was in 2013 when we drew 2-2 at home and away to a Basel side that included a 20-year-old Mo Salah, before he was signed by Chelsea. Incidentally, Basel's goalkeeper then Yann Sommer, is now 36 and played for Inter in their Champions League match against Feyenoord last night (Tuesday).

AZ captain Jordie Clasie, aged 33, played for Southampton between July 2015 and May 2017. He was loaned out to Club Brugge and Feyenoord (from whom he had been signed by "The Saints") before joining AZ in July 2019. Clasie gained 17 senior caps for The Netherlands, making his last appearance in November 2016.

20-year-old midfielder Ruben van Bommel missed last week's game, but played at Tottenham in our October meeting, and appeared in three other Europa League matches this season. Ruben is one of three children of former Netherlands captain Mark van Bommel, who had long spells with PSV and Bayern Munich between 1999 and 2011. I recall a story linking Van Bommel (senior) with Spurs twenty years ago, but nothing came of that. Mark left his position as coach of Antwerp at the end of his contract last summer.

Referee Joao Pinheiro and his on-field team are from Portugal. Mr. Pinheiro is yet another new official to us in Europe. He has been kept busy in Europe this season, and has been in charge of two Aston Villa games (Bologna and Club Brugge). This referee also looked after AZ's 4-1 home win against Galatasaray.

Did you know? (1) Former Spur (now retired) Mousa Dembele made 160 appearances for AZ Alkmaar before he signed for Fulham in 2010. Mousa finished his career playing for Guangzhou City in China, making his last appearance in August 2021. Mousa made 250 club appearances for Spurs.

Did you know? (2) Liverpool manager Arne Slot began his managerial career with AZ in 2019. He spent two seasons there and then three with Feyenoord before taking up his present position at Anfield.

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