AZ Alkmaar v Tottenham LIVE: Score and updates from Europa League last-16 clash

Son’s clipped pass runs through to AZ goalkeeper Owusu-Oduro and he launches a counter attack.

Moller Wolfe fizzes a dangerous low cross and Parrott slides in ahead of Vicario but the ball flies wide off his foot. An early warning for Spurs

It’s a decent atmosphere in Alkmaar, with the AZ fans in fine voice in the early going.

Spurs’s typically intense press pushes them back but ex-Tottenham striker Troy Parrott chases a ball in the channel, only for Gray and Spence to cover well for the visitors.

The teams are out and we’re only a couple of minutes from kick-off in Alkmaar

Will Tottenham end their trophy drought and win the Europa League this season?

TNT Sports pundits Les Ferdinand and Owen Hargreaves discuss:

Ange Postecoglou does not believe Tottenham captain Son Heung-min is set to “slow down” any time soon.

Son has double figures for assists this season, alongside 10 goals in all competitions, but had only found the net four times going into December to raise questions about his long-term future.

However, he has been more prolific since and the club triggered a one-year extension in January to keep him contracted until the summer of 2026.

“His ability to beat players, even in tight areas, is elite. His finishing I think is elite,” Postecoglou said.

“You never want to try to predict with players like Sonny how long he will go for because those kind of players I think always defy whatever odds there are because of the way they look after themselves and conduct themselves, the levels.

“Even this year, as difficult as it has been for us, I think his numbers still stack up. You weigh him up against any winger in the league, he’s still going to be top five.”

Ange Postecoglou believes the Europa League presents Tottenham with a “great opportunity” especially with the return of Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero and Dominic Solanke for tonight’s tie at AZ Alkmaar.

Spurs resume their European campaign with a last 16 first leg clash in the Netherlands with huge focus on the competition given the club’s domestic struggles this season.

The long-term absences of Van de Ven and Romero have contributed towards a difficult campaign as Tottenham sit 13th in the Premier League and are out of both domestic cup competitions but Postecoglou will aim to guide his squad a step closer to a first trophy since 2008 in the Europa League.

“Yeah, I think it is fair to say the boys really understand there is a great opportunity for us,” Postecoglou said.

“It’s a competition we obviously want to do well in. We’ve got ourselves in a good position. We’re in the round of 16, we’ve got two tough games against AZ and that’s the first thing to overcome.”

The Spurs bench is also worth looking at, with a number of their key cogs returning from injury.

Central defenders Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven are both on there – will Spurs’s defensive nightmare soon be over?

Dominic Solanke is also fit to make the bench, while the likes of Pedro Porro, Yves Bissouma and Wilson Odobert also offer options for Ange Postecoglou to change things

Here’s how the teams will line up today.

Tottenham XI: Vicario; Spence, Gray, Danso, Udogie; Maddison, Bergvall, Sarr; Johnson, Tel, Son

AZ Alkmaar XI: Owusu-Oduro; Maikuma, Goes, Penetra, Wolfe; Clasie, Koopmeiners; Poku, Buurmeester, Lahdo; Parrott

We’re just a couple of minutes away from finding out how the teams will line up this evening.

Which of Spurs’s injured stars will be fit to return in Alkmaar this evening?