AZ Alkmaar await the first encounter with Tottenham Hotspur tonight in the first of two Europa League round of 16 fixtures. Micky van de Ven is rumoured to possibly make his comeback at the AFAS Stadion. As per Voetbal International, this is the probable line-up of Ange Postecoglu’s team.
Of course, the big question from a Dutch perspective is: will Van de Ven start? Postecoglou was still mysterious about a starting place for the Dutch international, but given his recent injury history, he is only expected to make the bench. Cristian Romero seems to be heading for a starting place in his place.
Spurs also have a number of choices up front at the moment. Mathys Tel came over from Bayern Munich in the winter window and has been the attacking lead in recent games, but Dominic Solanke is also back in the match selection against AZ.
That said, a similar approach is expected for Solanke as with Van de Ven, especially with a view to the match against Bournemouth in the Premier League next weekend.
Tottenham are also without a lot of players against AZ. Dejan Kulusevski, Richarlison, Ben Davies and Radu Dragusin are all out due to physical reasons, while Antonin Kinsky, Timo Werner and Fraser Forster can’t play as they are not registered for the Europa League.
Tottenham’s expected lineup: Vicario; Porro, Romero, Danso, Spence; Bentancur, Bergvall, Maddison; Johnson, Tel, Son.
