AZ Alkmaar vs Tottenham LIVE
Spurs head to Holland this afternoon for their biggest game of the season to date as the Europa League knockout stages begin. After exiting both the FA Cup and Carabao Cup last month, and with Spurs languishing in the bottom half of the Premier League, this is Ange Postecoglou only chance to win silverware this season.
Spurs have already beaten their Dutch opponents this season - a narrow 1-0 win in north London during the League Phase thanks to a Richarlison penalty - but much has changed since with a string of injuries affecting Postecoglou's squad. AZ put five past Galatasaray in the play-off round, so are brimming with confidence.
Postecoglou will hope to have a number of players returning for injury, including first-choice centre-back pair Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero, who were able to train with the first-team squad this week. Follow the game LIVE below with our dedicated match blog, featuring expert insight and analysis from Dan Kilpatrick at AFAS Stadion.
AZ vs Tottenham latest updates
- GOAL! Bergvall own goal after defensive mistake
- AZ Alkmaar XI: Parrott leads the line
- Tottenham XI: Returning trio on the bench
- Score prediction
Full-time!
19:40 , Alex Young95min: The whistle goes. A very frustrating night for Spurs.
Dan Kilpatrick at AZ Stadion
19:39 , Alex YoungA terrible night for Spurs has just got worse. Solanke, who has only been back on the pitch for 20 minutes, is having to be helped down the touchline by a member of medical staff after appearing to take a blow to his back.
Is the striker going to be the latest Spurs player to return to the pitch and immediately get injured again?
92min: Scarlett will come on, replacing Solanke.
Big, big concern for Spurs.
90min: Solanke is down and needing treatment after being clattered by the AZ keeper.
89min: Excellent from Bentancur to dance through the defence and find a team-mate, but the subsequent cross is cleared.
88min: AZ play this one short, but only as far as Danso, who kick starts a counter which sees Odobert scamper over the halfway line, down the flank and then lets fly from the angle.
87min: AZ win a late corner. The hosts now the ones pushing for a late goal.
The first one is half-cleared by Spurs, only for the ball to return and AZ win another.
84min: Bergvall has not stopped running tonight.
Dan Kilpatrick at AZ Stadion
19:27 , Alex YoungTime ticking away for Spurs as they head towards what would be a damaging night for Postecoglou. If they lose 1-0, they will still be in the tie but they are not going to win the Europa League playing like this.
82min: Sadiq, Belic and Van Duijin are on for Buurmeester, Poku and Parrott.
80min: AZ are retreating more and more but so far holding their shape well.
78min: Spurs are pushing, and there is a little bit more inspiration in attack, but Solanke is yet to be afforded a chance.
74min: Bergvall is down and looks in agony after an elbow to the ribs from Clasie.
Dan Kilpatrick at AZ Stadion
19:17 , Alex YoungThe cavalry has finally arrived for Spurs in the form of Solanke, Porro and Sarr from the bench.
For Solanke, it is a first appearance in seven weeks. How Spurs have missed his presence up front.
72min: Solanke, Porro and Sarr replace Son, Udogie and Maddison.
70min: Three Spurs changes imminent, including Solanke.
68min: Poku now booked for also fouling Spence.
A big 20 minutes to come. No changes for the visitors yet.
66min: Koopmeiners now booked for a foul on Spence.
62min: Bentancur picks up a yellow card for a late barge on Parrott.
The Spurs midfielder will miss the second leg through suspension.
61min: An hour gone, time for some changes?
Dan Kilpatrick at AZ Stadion
19:03 , Alex YoungSpurs have been marginally more dangerous going forward since the interval but AZ's threat has not gone away, and they continue to look capable of scoring again.
With an hour gone, surely Postecoglou is starting to think about the big guns on his bench, chiefly Solanke.
53min: A great chance for Poku to make it two after being found in space inside the area, but Vicario makes a brilliant stop.
52min: Son does brilliantly to cut inside and let fly from 20 yards, but his shot is a good few yards wide.
Better from Spurs.
50min: Spurs come back again at AZ until Spence is judged to have fouled Goes.
49min: AZ with all the early possession until Bergvall nabs the ball in the centre circle, drives at goal and has a pop from the edge of the area. Narrowly wide.
Second half!
18:51 , Alex Young46min: Back underway!
Dan Kilpatrick at AZ Stadion
18:50 , Alex YoungOdobert for Tel at the interval makes sense. Spurs need a one-on-one dribbler out side, while the January signing has offered nothing at centre-forward again. Son goes through the middle but suspect we'll see Solanke there at some point if the evening carries on in his vein.
Odobert is on for Tel, so Son likely through the middle.
Any changes at the break?
AZ have played twice since Spurs last walked off a football pitch, including a cup semi-final which went all the way to penalties.
You’d expect Spurs to be the team with more about them... but no.
Dan Kilpatrick at AZ Stadion
18:38 , Alex YoungA deeply underwhelming half from Spurs, who are lucky to only be one down and have created next to nothing.
Solanke, Odobert, Romero and Porro all feel like plausible subs at the interval.
Half-time!
18:34 , Alex Young48min: Pretty miserable stuff from Spurs, who are not doing anywhere near enough.
46min: AZ get it wrong, try to recycle the ball but Spurs clear at the second attempt.
45min: AZ with a free kick near the edge of the area as two minutes of added time begin.
43min: Somehow, somehow, AZ don’t score as the corner goes short, in then floated towards the back post and about five of them at queuing up to convert. A combination of Spence, Danso, Bergvall and Vicario get in the way to deny them.
42min: Corner to AZ after Parrott is denied.
39min: Johnson with what feels like Spurs’ first proper attempt on goal, which fizzes over the bar.
38min: Bergvall with a poor touch which stops an attack building. He’s had an up and down half.
36min: Tel is doing a better job in holding up the ball.
35min: A complete waste of a free kick as Maddison and Son play it sort but get in each other’s way.
33min: Maddison does so well to hold off Koopmeiners twice before eventually winning a free kick on the edge of the area.
SAVE!
18:19 , Alex Young31min: Huge, huge save from Vicario to deny Parrott!
He looked like he may have been offside, but the keeper doesn’t know that an makes himself big and thwarts the former Spurs man.
29min: Corner for Spurs, which Maddison puts on the head of Bergvall, who cannot direct it goalwards.
28min: A nice break by Spurs as Tel tries to run in behind the defence but is stopped firmly in his tracks on the edge of the area by Maikuma.
Tel does need to do more.
27min: AZ are not remotely overawed, and why should they be. Flooding forwards whenever they can.
25min: Parrott and Poku go close. The first effort sees the striker carve open some space on the edge of the area, but Gray is on hand to get a boot in the way. Poku picks up the rebound and again sends a shot the wrong side of the far post.
23min: It’s so much better from Spurs as Tel, Spence and Johnson all combine for the latter to reach the byline and drill a cross inside the six-yard box, which the keeper is forced to get down and save.
Dan Kilpatrick at AZ Stadion
18:10 , Alex YoungThat is a desperately unfortunate own goal by Bergvall, whose mishit clearance somehow ended up evading Vicario and Spence on the line.
But Spurs have made a sloppy start here given the stakes and Alkmaar, who beat Galatasaray 4-1 at home in the play-offs, are looking very dangerous going forward.
21min: Parrott is bleeding from the nose so will need some quick treatment.
20min: It has woken Spurs up, as Bergvall drives through the centre, opts against feeding into Tel and instead finds Ugdogie, who gets to the byline but can’t find the final ball.
GOAL!
18:06 , Alex Young18min: Bergvall into his own net after a bizarrely sliced defensive clearance. Very unlucky and Vicario runs from his goal to commiserate.
A real wake-up call for Spurs, who have started very sluggishly.
A 100/1 chance of ending up as a goal, now Spurs need to respond!
15min: Gray does very well to step up into midfield and push Spurs forward, only to then spray a pass straight out of play.
Need to get their heads in the game.
14min: Spurs are seeing plenty of the ball but not doing a whole lot with it at the moment.
AZ are creating chances and look the more threatening.
11min: Another chance for AZ after Danso gives the ball away, it eventually falls to Poku who ignores Parrott and drills a shot across the face of goal.
9min: Kasius is on.
8min: Spurs moving it around well. They are bossing possession in these early stages.
Tel switches the ball to Johnson, who cuts inside and recycles the ball back to Maddison... and now Lahdo is down again and will need to be replaced so play stops.
7min: Lahdo is going to try to continue but I’m not convinced he will be able to.
6min: Lahdo is down and in need of treatment after being kicked by Bergvall.
Dan Kilpatrick at AZ Stadion
17:53 , Alex YoungWorth noting that Bergvall, Bentancur and the benched Bissouma are all a booking away from missing the second leg (more Bs than one of David Beckham's hives there).
And now Bergvall is probably a tackle away from a booking after dawdling on the ball and catching Lahdo.
4min: Son spots a gap in the defence and tries to send Tel into the area, but the pass had a little too much spice on it.
Straight up the other end, Clasie almost finds Parrott inside the area, but Vicario does enough to put him off.
3min: First half-sight of goal for Parrott as he scampers down the left and looks to cut inside, but Gray mops up.
2min: Early panic for Spurs as Maddison gives the ball away in his own half after being crowded out, but the ball is quickly won back.
Kick-off!
17:46 , Alex Young1min: Here we go!
Dan Kilpatrick at AZ Stadion
17:44 , Alex YoungPep Guardiola claimed last week that Spurs have one of the deepest squads he has ever seen. That may have been the Catalan's usual praise for a vanquished opponent but it is striking how many options Postecoglou suddenly has on the bench - even without three injured players and the ineligible Timo Werner.
I suspect we may see Dom Solanke and Cristian Romero at some point this evening, with Micky van de Ven perhaps more likely to return at the weekend or in the second leg after two false starts.
Right, here come the teams.
Teams are back in their dressing rooms. Not long to go now.
Postecoglou on returning trio
17:33 , Alex Young"If they're in the team, then they're fit. It's because they haven't played for a while and we work out how best to reintegrate them."
Final prep.
Dan Kilpatrick checks in
17:16 , Alex YoungOur man in Holland.
🗣️"It all comes down to the Europa League."
— Standard Sport (@standardsport) March 6, 2025
Here's @Dan_KP, at the AFAS Stadion, ahead of a huge European clash.#AZTOT | #UEL pic.twitter.com/b3nUnRUjYV
'Spurs will do well tonight'
17:10 , Alex YoungSpurs great Glenn Hoddle is confident of his former team’s chances.
"This is a massive game for Spurs, probably the biggest of the season,” he told TNT Sports.
“Coming away from home, they will have to get their game right. They have not been their best away from home ... knockout football is different, but I think Spurs will do well tonight."
Road to glory
17:08 , Alex YoungThe road to Bilbao steps up a gear tonight, and Spurs are the favourites with many of the bookmakers to win the tournament.
Athletic Bilbao, Lazio and Manchester United are not too far behind in the betting.
So, it’s two changes for Spurs as Son and Spence come in for Odobert and Porro. Bentancur and Bergvall keep their place in midfield.
As mentioned, Romero, Van de Ven and Solanke are on the bench.
AZ Alkmaar XI: Owusu-Oduro; Maikuma, Goes, Penetra, Wolfe; Clasie, Koopmeiners; Poku, Buurmeester, Lahdo; Parrott
Subs: Verhulst, Zoet, Martins Indi, Sadiq, Belic, Dekker, Smit, Kasius, De Wit, Daal, Van Duijn
AZ XI
16:45 , Alex Young...and the hosts!
♥ 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐛𝐨𝐲𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐝!
— AZ (@AZAlkmaar) March 6, 2025
🔄 Wissels: Verhulst, Zoet, Martins Indi, Sadiq, Belić, Dekker, Smit, Kasius, De Wit, Daal en Van Duijn.
📰 Volg alles voor, tijdens en na de wedstrijd via het liveblog: https://t.co/ZqpGnW0NL0#AZAlkmaar #aztot #UEL… pic.twitter.com/pAgz3wN1Kz
Spurs team in full
16:42 , Alex YoungTottenham XI: Vicario; Spence, Gray, Danso, Udogie; Maddison, Bergvall, Bentancur; Johnson, Tel, Son
Subs: Austin, Whiteman, Bissouma, Romero, Solanke, Porro, Odobert, Sarr, Van de Ven, Scarlett, Moore
Tottenham XI
16:35 , Alex YoungHere’s the Spurs lineup.
Your Spurs XI in Alkmaar 🫡 pic.twitter.com/PWQoUIsP9O
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) March 6, 2025
Cristian Romero, Micky van de ven and Dominic Solanke are on the bench for Spurs.
Spurs chairman Daniel Levy has arrived.
Team news should not be too far off.
The stage is set in Alkmaar.
No regrets for Troy Parrott
16:10 , Alex YoungTroy Parrott has no regrets about leaving Tottenham in the summer, with the AZ Alkmaar forward aiming to dent his former club's Europa League hopes tonight.
The Republic of Ireland international joined Spurs as a 15-year-old from boyhood club Belvedere and went on to make four appearances before joining Alkmaar permanently in the summer following a series of loans.
He has been a hit at the Eredivisie club, scoring 12 goals in 24 league appearances, as well as four times in eight starts in the Europa League.
Asked if he had any regrets about not staying at Spurs longer, Parrott said: "No, definitely not. For me it just didn’t happen. I’m OK with that.
"I’m here, I’m really enjoying myself here, I love life over here. Now I’m just focusing on where I am right now and trying to progress and keep getting better here.
"I look back with a smile. It's a place where I grew up. I moved away from home quite young so when I went there I was in a phase of going from a kid to a teenager and then past that.
"It was always good for me. It helped me become the person and player I am now so I can only look back on that with good memories.
"I think it was just the right time for both of us to move on. When I look back, that's not what I think. I just think about the good times I had growing up there now I'm here.
"I never had a conversation [with head coach Postecoglou]. For me, I was ready to move on and I think the club were also ready to move on. I thought it was the perfect time to do so. That’s just the way it went and I’m here now.
"It’s going to be an interesting game," he added. "I feel we’re in a better position now than we were when we played the first time. It will be interesting to see, we’ll have to wait until after the game tomorrow to see what happens."
Win or bust for Tottenham in last chance for Postecoglou trophy boast
16:01 , Alex YoungIt seems an age ago now that Ange Postecoglou tetchily reminded a reporter "I always win things in my second year" after Tottenham's defeat by Arsenal in September.
Back then, everyone at Spurs was still looking ahead optimistically to a season which appeared filled with promise but, six months on, Postecoglou's chances of fulfilling his boast rest solely on the Europa League.
For the Australian, it is not just his record of winning silverware in year two of a job on the line but Tottenham's entire campaign, which could still be remembered as historic and transformative or a miserable failure – depending on how they fare in the Europa League from here.
Having navigated the revamped initial phase, Spurs begin the knockouts with Thursday’s last-16 first leg against AZ Alkmaar, who they beat 1-0 at home in the competition in October.
"We obviously started the season feeling pretty good about where we were at, but obviously it hasn't transpired that way," Postecoglou said in Alkmaar. "We've got ourselves in a good position, we're in the round of 16.
"We've got two tough games against AZ and that's the first thing to overcome."
Postecoglou has blamed the club's chronic injury pile-up over the winter for derailing the season but his selection crisis and the schedule have eased in the last few weeks, contributing to a sense that everything is coming together in time for the knockouts.
Score prediction
15:51 , Alex YoungSpurs will be the fresher of the two teams but face an AZ side who boast a formidable home record. Postecoglou should be telling his team to keep it tight at the back, but that is no guarantee with the Australian in charge, so goals could well be in plentiful supply.
I expect both teams to come out of the traps quickly, and AZ will look to their 4-1 win at home over Galatasaray as proof that they can blow teams away in front of their own fans. Spurs will likely be happy with a draw ahead of hosting the second leg at home next week. It could be a bit of a nervy affair.
Draw, 2-2.
Early Tottenham team news
15:43 , Alex YoungTottenham hope to give Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero and Dominic Solanke some minutes tonight in a huge triple injury boost.
Romero has not played since early December but has now been back in full training for over a week and could come into the side at centre-back, alongside Kevin Danso.
Van de Ven is also fit again after a lengthy hamstring injury, while Solanke could be ready to return up front after seven weeks out with a knee injury, but Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou could take a more cautious approach with the pair.
Postecoglou must pick two of Pedro Porro, Djed Spence and Destiny Udogie at full-back, while Pape Matar Sarr, Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall, Rodrigo Bentancur and Yves Bissouma are all competing for two spots in midfield.
Bentancur and Bergvall have started the last four games together and may keep their places, so captain Heung-min Son may have to deputise up front.
Wilson Odobert and Brennan Johnson are pushing for further starts after being named in the starting XI against Manchester City last time out.
Kulusevski is set to be sidelined until after the international break with a foot injury, while Richarlison (calf) and Ben Davies (unspecified) have also been left at home.
Early AZ team news
15:36 , Alex YoungAZ will look to former Spurs striker Troy Parrott for goals, especially with attacking quartet Mexx Meerdink, Ruben van Bommel, Jayden Addai and Sven Mijnans all expected to miss out.
Jordy Clasie and Peer Koopmeiners will have a battle on their hands in midfield, especially against a Spurs side who were afforded the weekend off with the Premier League schedule on pause for the FA Cup.
How to watch AZ Alkmaar vs Tottenham
15:28 , Alex YoungTV channel: In the UK, tonight’s game will be televised live on TNT Sports 3. Coverage starts at 5pm GMT ahead of a 5.45pm kick-off.
Live stream: TNT Sports subscribers can also catch the contest live online via the Discovery+ app and website.
Welcome
15:24 , Alex YoungGood afternoon and welcome to the Standard’s LIVE coverage of the Europa League last-16 first-leg clash between AZ Alkmaar and Tottenham.
Kick-off is at 5.45pm BST. Stick with us.
