AZ vs Tottenham Hotspur Prediction: Parrott to haunt his former club

Tottenham Hotspur have got their work cut out to qualify for Europe next season by conventional methods as they are 11 points adrift of the top six in the Premier League. Success in the Uefa Europa League looks to be their best bet and they take part in the first leg of their round of 16 tie at AFAS Stadion on Thursday (17:45, TNT Sports 3) to face AZ Alkmaar.

The Dutch side have impressed in Europe so far and are yet to taste defeat on home soil, while Spurs have just the one defeat in four away matches in this competition. Read on for my AZ vs Tottenham Hotspur predictions, including the latest match odds and team news.

AZ vs Tottenham Hotspur Odds

AZ have won four of their five home matches in the Europa League this term, including their latest, a 4-1 triumph over Galatasaray in the play-offs. They are 12/5, which has an implied probability of 29.4%, to take the advantage in this first leg.

They played the Turkish side in the league phase, also at AFAS Stadion and it was that encounter that ended in a draw. Spurs drew one of their four away contests and that came against Rangers. The stalemate is marketed at 11/4 on Thursday.

Spurs won two of their other matches on the road, and they come into this game having won three of their last four in the Premier League. They are 11/10 to come away with the victory.

Football Odds

Team News

The hosts will be without key midfielder Sven Mijnans, who is nursing an Achilles tendon injury. Zico Buurmeester is set to fill in for Mijnans in the number 10 role, and he comes into this game with confidence after scoring against Heerenveen last weekend.

Jayden Addai (ankle) is also in the medical bay, while Ruben van Bommel and Mexx Meerdink are both doubtful to feature against Tottenham.

Peer Koopmeiners and former Southampton man Jordy Clasie are set to man the engine room for AZ. Troy Parrott will be itching to face his former employers and will feel like he has a point to prove. The Irishman has netted four goals in the Europa League already, three of which came at AFAS Stadion. The striker has bagged a further 13 goals across all competitions.

Tottenham are set to be without Dejan Kulusevski for at least a week, with the attacker being seen wearing a protective boot. Radu Dragusin (ACL) is Spurs' long-term absentee, while both Richarlison (calf) and Dominic Solanke (knee) are unavailable on Thursday.

Antonin Kinsky, Fraser Forster, Timo Werner and Sergio Reguilon are all going to miss out because they were not named in Ange Postecoglou's European squad.

The Tottenham boss has hinted that there is a chance that injury-plagued defenders Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero could feature in the Netherlands, with both players having returned to training.

Ben Davies' workload has been closely managed in recent weeks, so he will be assessed ahead of the game.

Tottenham and both teams to score @ 12/5

We've seen vast improvements from Spurs in recent weeks and there's a reason for that, their treatment room has been slowly emptying. More key players are back in the squad and this will be huge for the final months of the campaign.

Postecoglou has constantly made the point that he wins trophies in his second season at a club. The Europa League is the last opportunity he has to complete this self-fulfilling prophecy in 2024/25, and Spurs as a club are in desperate need of success.

The 2008 League Cup was their last trophy win and the fans have been frustrated at the drought for many years. Postecoglou and his players will be fired up for this game after their Carabao Cup and FA Cup journeys came to an end last month.

AZ will present them with a tough tie, though, given how well they have performed in this competition, so they cannot afford to underestimate their Dutch hosts. With more of their key players back in the fold, I think Spurs should have enough to win this match to give them an advantage ahead of the second leg in north London.

I've boosted the selection by adding both teams to score, though, as it has been a winning selection in four of AZ's home games in the Europa League this term, as well as all four of Tottenham's away trips in the league phase.

Troy Parrott anytime goalscorer @ 7/4

If you have read any of my match previews for Betfred Insights, you will see that I often tip players to score against their former clubs, and that is exactly what I'm going to do again.

Parrott has been one of the best players in the Eredivisie this season and he has been a regular source of goals for AZ in Europe. I may think Spurs will have enough to win here, it won't be easy.

I believe there will be several goals on offer, and Parrott is top of the list for who I think will get on the scoresheet.

Offers

We will be Top Price on Tottenham to beat AZ Alkmaar with selected bookmakers using Oddschecker for the comparison. (Available from 09:30 Thursday)

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