Tottenham Hotspur will look to prolong their 100% start to the Europa League’s opening stage when they host AZ Alkmaar on Thursday, October 24th.
The Lilywhites are in a great run of form of late, barring a blip at Brighton before the international break, and in fairness, they can be considered as realistic contenders to win the Europa League at the end of the season.
Ange Postecoglou has rotated his midfield extensively in the Europa League but elsewhere on the pitch, changes have been few and far between.
Here is a look at how the Australian could line his players up against the Dutch side.
Goalkeeper – Guglielmo Vicario remains the first-choice goalkeeper and Postecoglou’s go-to option even in the Europa League. He will keep his place in the starting eleven ahead of understudy Fraser Forster.
Defenders – Both Tottenham full backs from the weekend could be rotated with Destiny Udogie making way for Ben Davies, and Archie Gray coming into the line-up in place of Pedro Porro. Radu Dragusin may also be handed a start in the heart of the backline and he is expected to partner with Micky van de Ven in the centre back position.
Richarlison to start on the left flank
Midfielders – The entire midfield that started against West Ham in the Premier League could drop to the bench as Ange Postecoglou is likely to prefer Lucas Bergvall and Pape Mata Sarr in his engine room.
Yves Bissouma, who started in the team’s last couple of Europa League matches might also miss out as Rodrigo Bentancur might be slotted in at defensive midfield having been left out against West Ham following his lengthy flight from Uruguay.
Forwards – Heung-min Son started for the first time in several weeks against West Ham and graced his presence with a goal. However, given that he was suffering a muscular injury, he will be treated with utmost caution. Therefore, he might miss a starting berth versus Alkmaar with Richarlison likely to come in on the left wing. The 27-year-old has recently recovered from injury and needs minutes to build up his match fitness.
Dominic Solanke and Brennan Johnson failed to score in Spurs’ 4-1 win over West Ham – a rare occurrence given their immaculate form over the last several weeks. Nevertheless, they are both likely to keep their places in the team as the striker and right winger, respectively.
Here is how Tottenham could look on paper:
