The Lilywhites season hangs by a thread, and so does Ange Postecoglou’s future at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, as the North Londoners host AZ Alkmaar in the second leg of their Europa League last-16 tie on Thursday, with the Dutch side landing in North London with a 1-0 lead that they took on their home soil last week. It was one of many games that saw Spurs struggle to find their feet in the game, with the hosts getting the better of them on almost all metrics. The Australian head coach would consider himself lucky that his side only conceded once in what could easily have been at least a couple more.
But that being said, despite the setback, there were signs of optimism for the North Londoners, especially with Archie Gray. The teenager was exemplary in the fixture, and he played with intent and was not afraid to attract pressure before releasing into the second phase. Lucas Bergvall also had a decent outing despite scoring an own goal. The Swede was running and engaging in duels, something that the likes of James Maddison and Heung-Min Son failed to do all game.
But as we go into the second leg, it’s all or nothing for Tottenham, and one of the major boosts that Ange Postecoglou received at the weekend was the return of Cristian Romero in the weekend’s game against Bournemouth after spending a lengthy time on the sidelines.
But Romero looked a bit rusty in the game, and Ange went on to rest Son Heung-min. But the North Londoners will still be missing Dejan Kulusevski and Richarlison; the former will be a void, given his 20-goal contributions across all competitions in the ongoing campaign, and their absence will undoubtedly be felt.
So, how will Ange Postecoglou have his side lining up this midweek? Let’s have a look.
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Starting with the goalkeeper, it’s not even a question that former Empoli ace Guglielmo Vicario will continue in goal. The 28-year-old has been impressive since his return from injury and has brought some sort of calmness to a fragile defence. Then, going into the defence, Pedro Porro and Destiny Udogie start in the fullback role. While Djed Spence has done brilliantly of late, the aforementioned duo brings some sort of offensive presence that is difficult to replicate, and going into the game with a 1-0 trail, it is important that Ange Postecoglou prioritise getting goals. At the heart of defence, given how important this game is, the Australian head coach can start with the first-choice duo of Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero to bring some defensive stability with and without the ball.
Moving into midfield, this is where it gets tricky; Uruguayan midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur has been suspended for the fixture because of his first leg yellow card. And given how Yves Bissouma and Pape Sarr have been inconsistent, there is a chance for Archie Gray to start at the base of the midfield with, again, two offensive-minded players on either side in James Maddison and Lucas Bergvall.
Going into attack, Dominic Solanke should return to the starting lineup with Heung Min-Son taking up the left flank and Brennan Johnson on the right to complete the eleven.
Timo Werner will not be available given his injury, complemented by the fact that he is unregistered in the North Londoners UEL squad.
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Tottenham Hotspur predicted lineup vs AZ Alkmaar
Guglielmo Vicario, Pedro Porro, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Destiny Udogie, Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall, James Maddison, Brennan Johnson, Dominic Solanke, Heung Min-Son
