Tottenham Hotspur have only one chance left at a trophy this season, and it’s in the UEFA Europa League. So if manager Ange Postecoglu is going to make good on his quasi-promise to deliver silverware to North London this season, it’ll have to be in the UEL. And the next obstacle on that quest is Dutch club AZ Alkmaar.
So as big Ange leads his side to the Netherlands, he knows that he needs to field the strongest side possible in this one.
AZ Alkmaar vs Tottenham Hotspur FYIs
Kick: Thurs. March 6, 5:45pm, AFAS Stadion, Alkmaar, Netherlands
Competition: UEFA Europa League Round of 16 Leg 1/2
Tottenham Preview Material: Team News Starting XI Prediction
Fun Fact: Only one Spurs player, Dimitar Berbatov, has more UEFA knockout round goals than Heung-Min Son this century.
After all, this is the knockout round, where we separate the wheat from the chafe. Here is what we think the best possible first team could look like on Thursday.
Tottenham Hotspur Starting XI Prediction at AZ Alkmaar
Guglielmo Vicario; Pedro Porro, Kevin Danso, Ben Davies, Djed Spence; James Maddison, Rodrigo Bentancur, Pape Matar Sarr; Dominic Solanke, Brennan Johnson, Heung-Min Son
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. 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.