Tottenham vs AZ Alkmaar Prediction: 24/10/2024

Tottenham Hotspur, still in search of a major trophy in its history, sees the Europa League as a strong opportunity to break that drought, especially with the competition offering direct qualification to the next Champions League.

Spurs began their Europa League campaign in impressive fashion, securing a 3-0 victory over Qarabag at home despite being reduced to 10 men early in the match. However, their second game was more challenging against Ferencvaros, but they still managed to come away with a 1-2 win.

Prior to the international break, Tottenham was riding a wave of five consecutive wins across all competitions, including a commanding 3-0 victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford. Unfortunately, that run was halted with a 3-2 defeat to Brighton just before the break.

Returning from the international break, Tottenham is set to face a struggling West Ham side in the Premier League. On the other hand, AZ Alkmaar’s Europa League journey has been less consistent. They have won just one of their two matches, defeating Elfsborg 3-2 at home, but falling 2-0 to Athletic Bilbao in Spain. AZ’s recent form has been poor, as they have suffered three consecutive defeats in all competitions, including league losses to Fortuna Sittard (1-0) and Utrecht (1-2).

Tottenham’s Romanian defender Radu Dragusin, who was sent off against Qarabag, will be eligible to play in this match and might feature in the lineup. French U21 international Wilson Odobert is sidelined due to injury, and key players like Richarlison, captain Son Heung-Min, and talented full-back Destiny Udogie are also unavailable.

However, Brennan Johnson, who has been in excellent form with goals in his last six games for Spurs, is expected to play, alongside right-back Pedro Porro and Timo Werner, who has struggled to find his form in the league.

AZ Alkmaar has some injury concerns as well. Young defender Wouter Goes and backup goalkeeper Westerveld are out, but the Dutch side will be boosted by the return of Ghanaian forward Ibrahim Sadiq, who has contributed four goals and three assists in the Eredivisie this season. AZ’s top scorer, Irish international Troy Parrott, with five league goals, is also expected to feature in the lineup for their trip to London.

 

Prediction

Tottenham’s strong home form in the Europa League has seen them play 32 consecutive top-flight matches with fewer than 3.5 goals being scored. Similarly, AZ Alkmaar has experienced a similar trend, with 19 of their last 20 away matches at this level also ending with fewer than 3.5 goals. Therefore, it’s unlikely to be a high-scoring affair.

Prediction: Tottenham 1 : 1 AZ Alkmaar