Alkmaar will host one of the central matches of the Europa League 1/8 finals. AZ and Tottenham will meet for the second time in the current draw of the continent's second most prestigious tournament. The match between the rivals in the general stage took place on 24 October 2024 in London. Tottenham had the advantage on the pitch but to say that the guests from the Netherlands were "whipping boys" is absolutely wrong. "Spurs" won, but scored the only goal in the match with a penalty in the second half. After it, the rivals' scores were almost equalised - AZ tried to equalise. In general, Tottenham had a good overall performance, taking the final fourth place in the standings. The final gap from the leader was two points, and the only defeat Spurs suffered in Istanbul from Galatasaray. It is from the club, which AZ left no chance in the knockout rounds. Taking nineteenth place in the overall stage, Martens' wards won the right to participate in the preliminary round of the playoffs. At home they defeated Galatasaray with a score of 4:1, and away they parted with the Turks in peace - 2:2. And it was the guests from Alkmaar who played better in Istanbul. Bookmakers have identified the guests as favourites for the upcoming meeting, offering odds of 2.07 on their victory.

Despite not the best performance both in the national championship and in the Europa League, AZ over the past couple of months has repeatedly shown opponents teeth. The Alkmarese club have defeated Ajax twice since December last year, took points away from PSV, beat Roma and Galatasaray at home. Last round's defeat to Heerenveen after a seven-match unbeaten streak can only indicate a focus on the upcoming meeting with Tottenham and give little information about AZ's current level.

Tottenham's only chance of qualifying for the Champions League this coming season is to win the current Europa League draw. However, plans and objectives do not always coincide with reality. In the last five official meetings, Spurs have lost to three serious opponents. Victories over Manchester United and Ipswich Town during this period should not cause much pride. We bet that the home team will not lose at least.