Like the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League, AZ Alkmaar are coming to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. We joke about the Jaguars being London’s de facto NFL team, because they play there so much, but hey, the English capital is indeed a citizen of the world. And AZ Alkmaar are a Dutch side, so once again we have a team from a country that has had its turn as the world’s foremost superpower…coming to Great Britain, the country most synonymous with promoting that concept.
AZ Alkmaar at Tottenham Hotspur FYIs
Kick: Thurs. Oct. 23, 8pm, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Competition: UEFA Europa League Matchday 3 of 8
Spurs Preview Material: Team News Starting XI Prediction
UEL Standing, Form: Tottenham 3rd, 6 pts, WW AZ Alkmaar 18th, 3 pts, WL
Yes, that’s quite the sociopolitical tangent to get on there, when previewing a midweek Europa League clash. But hey, when it’s the UEL, you find your story lines where you can.
It’s a pretty strong lineup, all things considered, as you have some reserves, fringe players in there, but also some first team level guys too.
Tottenham Hotspur Starting XI Prediction vs AZ Alkmaar (UEL)
Fraser Forster; Archie Gray, Cristian Romero, Ben Davies, Djed Spence; Pape Matar Sarr, Rodrigo Bentancur, Lucas Bergvall; Brennan Johnson, Dominic Solanke, Timo Werner
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America and RG.org. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.