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Ange Postecoglou is sure his Tottenham players are up for the challenge as they look to overturn a one-goal deficit in their Europa League round of 16 tie against AZ Alkmaar. The Dutch side head to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium holding a 1-0 lead after clinching victory in the Netherlands last week following Lucas Bergvall's own goal.

Tottenham just weren't at the races one week ago and were duly punished in the first leg. There's plenty of pressure on Postecoglou and his side in the decisive return game but it is something they need to embrace as they aim to achieve a place in the quarter-finals.

"There's always pressure there and yes, it's a big game, but, you know, if we're successful tomorrow night, it'll be the same in the next round," said the 59-year-old in his pre-match press conference. "That's when you're in the later stages of European or any cup competition, you kind of know every game is meaningful because it either means the end of the road or you progress, so we understand that, we need to embrace that, it's good that we're at home. It'll be a good challenge for us, but I'm sure it's what we're up for."

Making changes to his Tottenham team last weekend against Bournemouth, the boss will likely do the same on Thursday night as he looks to find the perfect formula. So who could come into his starting XI? football.london takes a look below.

Destiny Udogie for Djed Spence/Pedro Porro

Destiny Udogie only got a matter of minutes to his name last weekend and he will be in contention to come into the Tottenham team against AZ Alkmaar. Postecoglou does have options because of the versatility of Djed Spence and that means Pedro Porro could be at risk of dropping down to the bench.

If that is the case, Spence can line up at right-back as Udogie plays in his natural left-back position. If Porro maintains his place then it will be Spence, who has been an undroppable since coming into the team, having to watch on from the side.

Micky van de Ven/Archie Gray for Kevin Danso

Micky van de Ven made his return from injury against Bournemouth last Sunday after coming on for the final 29 minutes of the contest. The minutes will have done the Dutchman the world of good and it could lead to him starting at home to AZ.

Speaking in his post-match press conference last weekend, the Spurs boss did mention the importance of players such as Van de Ven and Cristian Romero getting pitch time ahead of Thursday night, thus hinting at possible starting roles for them. As Kevin Danso is out injured with a hamstring issue, Van de Ven will be the favourite to come in but you certainly cannot rule out Archie Gray starting at centre-back despite the boss having his first-choice centre-backs available again.

Lucas Bergvall for Rodrigo Bentancur

Bergvall looks a definite to start on Thursday night as he is such a key player in the Tottenham team right now. The Swede dropped down to the bench last weekend but he immediately made a difference after entering the fray at the break.

The 19-year-old could possibly take on Rodrigo Bentancur's No.6 role in the Uruguayan's absence through suspension. Bergvall has a major role to play and he could hold the key to Tottenham's hopes of progressing.

James Maddison for Yves Bissouma/Pape Matar Sarr

James Maddison is another who looks a certainty to start in Tottenham's midfield. The England international has contributed with ten goals and seven assists already this season and it would be nice if those numbers increased on Thursday night.

In Dejan Kulusevski's absence through injury, Maddison needs to take on the creative mantle and drag Spurs kicking and screaming to the next round. One of Yves Bissouma or Pape Matar Sarr could make way to accommodate their teammate, with the latter maybe having done enough to keep his place in the team after scoring in the Bournemouth encounter.

Mathys Tel for Brennan Johnson

The return of Dominic Solanke to the starting XI could mean that Mathys Tel gets a go in the position Postecoglou and Spurs see him playing in. Played out wide on his Spurs debut against Aston Villa at the beginning of February, the Frenchman has since operated as a striker in Solanke and Richarlison's absence.

With Brennan Johnson struggling in his past couple of appearances and Wilson Odobert catching the eye but failing to make a real impact in the final third, that could open the door for Tel to come in and start.

Son Heung-min for Wilson Odobert

It would be a shock if Son Heung-min remained on the bench for the AZ game after starting there against Bournemouth. The Spurs captain did get a goal in the 2-2 draw from the penalty spot and he also hit the post with a curling effort following his half-time introduction.

Odobert could be the player at risk to allow Son to take up his usual position on the left flank.

Spurs' season-defining game and the big Archie Gray question - click here to listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham.

Ange Postecoglou has been speaking ahead of Tottenham's big Europa League round of 16 second leg clash with AZ Alkmaar and we've got every single word the Spurs boss said.

The north London side must turn around a one-goal deficit after a poor performance in the Netherlands and they will have to do so without Kevin Danso, after football.london reported on Tuesday that the centre-back had suffered a hamstring injury in the draw with Bournemouth and was set for a spell on the sidelines.

At his press conference, Postecoglou delivered an update on the Austria international and further news within the squad ahead of the match as well as being asked about his future and more.

Our Tottenham correspondent Alasdair Gold was among those putting the questions to Postecoglou and here's a full transcript from the press conference at Hotspur Way.

What is the state of the squad? How is Kevin Danso and can Romero and Van de Ven start?

Right, OK. I think you covered it all there! Yeah, Kevin got a hamstring injury in the last game so he is out. Ben [Davies] is back in, so that’s the only change from the weekend. Everyone else got through the game no problems.

With Van de Ven and Romero, how ready are they to start?

They got through the game well. Obviously Romero no issues and it was great to get Micky back out there and he felt good. Both available.

This game is being billed as win or bust for Tottenham’s season and for you and your project, how do you feel?

Yeah, there are not many professions in the world where you have to come in and answer questions like that is there? No, there isn’t, but I am going to be polite and say we’re focused on winning the game tomorrow night and need to put in a better performance than we did last Thursday. Obviously that wasn’t anywhere near the standard we want to play. We did some good things at the weekend, did some not so good things, but we feel like if we can play with the intensity and tempo we played at the weekend, we’ll give ourselves a good chance to progress."

Hi Ange, how are you?

I’m good, mate. Hold on a sec. (Postecoglou picks up translator headphones).

That was funny!

Thank you. Let’s keep our sense of humour.

You've been favourites to win this competition from the start and that plus you said you always win a trophy in your second season, is there any extra pressure?

No, no extra pressure. I guess as I said before, I think we were obviously disappointed with our performance in the first leg and I guess the important thing is we didn’t make tie impossible for us to get back into. It is still very tight. Obviously they have the goal advance, but being at home and if we can play with the intensity and tempo we played at the weekend, I think we’ll have the opportunity to progress. Should we progress then we’ll obviously have another big challenge in the next round but right now the key focus is to put in a really strong performance at home tomorrow night and we’ll go from there.

Much has been made of youth but how much tomorrow do you rely on experience – Romero, Maddison and Son? They have to step up don’t they?

Yeah I think so, but we haven’t had them a lot. I would include Vicario in that as well. I think Vic was enormous for us in the first leg and he was big for us on the weekend as well. You want your big, experienced players to perform in these games, for sure. We have relied a lot on our younger players who have really progressed really well, but I guess a night like tomorrow night, having the likes of Romero, Maddison, Vicario and Sonny out there, they are our four leaders and I don’t think we’ve had them on the park at all this year or very little anyway. Having all four of them, the whole leadership group out there, will definitely be beneficial.

Do you regret saying 'I always win in my second season'?

My view has always been when you’re asked a question you answer it. I wasn’t making anything up. I was asked a question, I answered that question. People have sort of used it for their own purposes in suggesting I was making a bold claim but I wasn’t. I was stating a fact. If that doesn’t happen this year then I cannot say that anymore if I’m asked next year can I? What was I supposed to say? ‘I always win in the second year but, well I have in the past everywhere I’ve been, here it won’t happen’ Is that what people want to hear?

I don’t have an issue with that. People can twist these things and use them. Maybe we will defy the odds and I do win something. You know what people will say? ‘Isn’t it great that he made such a bold claim.’ People just use it the way they want to depending on the circumstances. I will always answer things the way I feel comfortable answering them. I’m really comfortable and proud of the fact that everywhere I have been I have won things. I think it’s something where I wouldn’t be sitting here if I didn’t. Whether I win something in my second year here time will tell.

How bad is Kevin Danso’s injury?

Hard to say at the moment. He felt it right at the end of the game. We will see. We have got the international break which helps us. Kevin looks after himself, he is a pretty good athlete. We will give him every chance to get back. We have to let it settle down before we get clarity on it. He will be pushing for sure.

We saw you watching Richarlison doing running on the grass, where's he at in his rehab?

Probably post the international break he should be there or thereabouts depending on his progress It was good to see him back out on the grass. He is working hard to get back in. Hopefully post international break he will be available.

With Pape Matar Sarr observing Ramadan, how impressive does that make his performances when he's not able to drink or eat during daylight hours?

It’s a testament to him and all the other players who have that faith and those strong beliefs that they are able to do both. I think Djed is observing it as well. With all these things, you have to respect people’s beliefs and our role is to try to support and see what we can provide in terms of assistance to make sure they can perform at the levels they want. Pape, particularly these last few weeks, is coming back to the levels we saw with him earlier in the year and last year. He is important to us particularly at the moment, tomorrow night obviously Rodrigo is suspended. We will need his energy as we did on the weekend.

Why did the squad have the wrong mindset last week against AZ?

I think there was some clear evidence there that we didn’t really play at the intensity that we usually do. It could be a multitude of things but we have analysed that and reviewed that. On the weekend we had our struggles but at the same time I thought we were more like ourselves, particularly in the second half, in terms of playing with a real strong intent with and without the ball. So the level is there. It’s not like it’s disappeared. We have got to make sure we get to that level again tomorrow night.

It's obviously a high pressure game tomorrow, how do you frame that for the players?

There's always pressure there and yes, it's a big game, but, you know, if we're successful tomorrow night, it'll be the same in the next round. That's when you're in the later stages of European or any cup competition, you kind of know every game is meaningful because it either means the end of the road or you progress, so we understand that, we need to embrace that, t's good that we're at home. It'll be a good challenge for us, but I'm sure it's what we're up for.

The atmosphere was referenced on Sunday, and we've seen another cup games, I think Man City, Liverpool and how much of a difference the fans can make, what sort of role have they got tomorrow?

Yeah, big role. We saw that at AZ, they obviously helped their team on the night and we need our supporters to get behind the team and create a really good atmosphere, like we did when we played Liverpool and and Man City. I think our fans know it's a big game and I'm sure they'll come there tomorrow night to try and support the lads and get us over the line.

You're one goal down, how do you approach it in terms of do you try and go hell for leather from the start or do you have to kind of be a bit mature and think you've got maybe 120 minutes to get through this?

I think you just treat it as as any other game. I think if you frame the scoreline into it, ultimately it's a game we have to win, if we win it means we're in a positive goal difference now. Whether that's enough to get through, but it's a game we have to win, we know that. The beauty of our approach I guess is nothing really changes because we go out there and try and, I know it sounds obvious, but we try and go out there and win every game and be really dominant in our football and that's what we're going to need to do tomorrow night to get the result we want. So from our perspective, being a goal down doesn't really change anything. We'll just go out there with a normal mindset that we you know, again we showed in the games we've done well in this year and use that as a way forward.

I just wanted to ask about Troy Parrot, what have you made of his season so far because Jose Mourinho spoke to him and said that he could see the progression?

Yeah, Troy's done really well, he did really well in Holland last year. It was a really good loan move for him. I think sometimes for players like Troy, getting away from the UK and seeing whether they can do it in a different style of football, whether it suits them, and I think the Dutch league certainly has allowed him to develop further. He's doing really well, really pleased for him and hopefully we we keep him quiet tomorrow night.

What would you say are his best qualities?

Obviously he's still a very good goalscorer. His goals, you know, as a striker, he's a good finisher, but apart from that, I think he's a good link-up player. He works hard for his team as well, and we saw that the other night, both with and without the ball. He's a hard worker and I think it's good to see him develop in those areas.

Spurs' season-defining game and the big Archie Gray question - click here to listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham.

Ange Postecoglou has confirmed that Kevin Danso will play no part for Tottenham in Thursday's Europa League round of 16 second leg tie against AZ Alkmaar because of a hamstring injury. Joining from French side Lens at the end of the January window, Danso has been an ever-present in the Spurs side since making the move to north London.

football.london reported on Tuesday evening that the Austrian sustained a muscle injury in last Sunday's 2-2 draw at home to Bournemouth. Danso looked to be struggling towards the end of the game and then could be seen heading straight down the tunnel at the final whistle with medical staff flanking him on either side, as he held the hamstring on his right leg with his shorts on that side pulled up.

Not involved with the rest of the first-team squad in training at their Enfield base ahead of the decisive AZ Alkmaar Europa League tie, Danso will miss out on Thursday night but there's a chance Ben Davies could be involved again. Speaking in his pre-match press conference at Hotspur Way on Wednesday afternoon, Postecoglou provided the latest on the 26-year-old's injury.

"Kevin got a hamstring injury in the last game so he's out," said Postecoglou. "Ben is back in. So that's the only change from the weekend. Everyone else got through the game."

Asked how bad the defender's injury is, Postecoglou added: "Hard to say at the moment. He felt it right at the end of the game. We will see. We have got the international break which helps us.

"Kevin looks after himself, he is a pretty good athlete. We will give him every chance to get back. We have to let it settle down before we get clarity on it. He will be pushing for sure."

Spurs' season-defining game and the big Archie Gray question - click here to listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham.

Ange Postecoglou and Guglielmo Vicario are holding their press conferences ahead of Tottenham's crucial Europa League round of 16 second leg clash with AZ Alkmaar.

Spurs' season hinges on this game with the Dutch side at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with the scoreline finely poised at 1-0 to AZ despite a dismal display from the north London outfit in Alkmaar. One player who looks set to be missing from the second leg is Kevin Danso, with football.london reporting on Tuesday that the centre-back had suffered a muscle injury in the draw with Bournemouth and was set for a spell on the sidelines.

Postecoglou will deliver an update on the Austria international and also any further news within the squad ahead of the match. His goalkeeper Vicario will also be holding a press conference and both men will likely be asked about the atmosphere needed on Thursday night, with the head coach having noted the muted crowd in Sunday's draw with Bournemouth and Vicario having failed to rouse the disappointed supporters in Alkmaar.

Our Tottenham correspondent Alasdair Gold is among those putting the questions to Postecoglou and Vicario. Scroll down for his latest updates from the press conferences at Hotspur Way.

The Tottenham players took to the Hotspur Way pitches on Wednesday morning ahead of the Europa League round of 16 second leg match against AZ Alkmaar.

Spurs were poor in the first leg in the Netherlands last week and need to overturn a 1-0 deficit in Thursday night's game at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Ange Postecoglou and his coaches were putting his players through their final paces at the Enfield training complex on Wednesday morning.

Here are five things we noticed from the open early stages of training in which the media were allowed to watch and film proceedings.

Postecoglou watching Richarlison

The goalkeepers were the first players to emerge from the first team building but one player was already out on the grass.

Richarlison could be seen far across the other side of the pitches, going through runs up and down the grass with a fitness coach. There was no sign of a ball being introduced at this point.

When Postecoglou emerged from the building, he went over to the edge of the first team area, alongside a fence and watched the Brazilian for a while as he continues his rehabilitation from his calf injury.

Who was missing

The newest absentee was Kevin Danso, with football.london reporting on Tuesday that the centre-back had suffered a muscle injury in the draw with Bournemouth and was set for a spell on the sidelines.

He joined Dejan Kulusevski, long-term absentee Radu Dragusin and Richarlison in missing the session. The unregistered Timo Werner, Antonin Kinsky, Sergio Reguilon and the suspended Rodrigo Bentancur all took part despite being unavailable for Thursday night's game.

Odd socks

It was immediately noticeable that the players were wearing brightly coloured odd socks while training and the reason for that was to mark World Down Syndrome Day, which takes place on March 21.

James Maddison's sock choice of yellow and green looked like it might be deliberate with his Norwich connections of the past and it all certainly added some colour to proceedings.

Mathys Tel gently told off

The Tottenham players went through some running drills before splitting into pairs to do pressing and touch exercises and then they all took part in rondos before the media had to head off from proceedings.

One of the fitness coaches noticed during the touch exercises that Mathys Tel was struggling to get the rhythm of the drill and the intensity needed for it. The coach called on him gently to push it harder and then joked a little later to Wilson Odobert, Tel's partner in the work, "Should I ask in French?".

The fitness coach then made an example by calling on the group to watch him doing what was meant to be a high intensity drill with Odobert and it certainly did the trick with Tel, who put everything into the next phase of the session.

Good spirits

Confidence might have taken a hit in recent weeks but the Spurs players looked to be in high spirits and enjoying some fun little interactions with each other and between duos that you might not normally expect.

Pape Matar Sarr came out on to the pitches and made a beeline for Cristian Romero before putting his arms around the Argentinean vice-captain in an embrace from the side.

Then later in the session, Mikey Moore starting teasing Micky van de Ven with the ball, not giving it to the Dutchman. When he eventually did he ran around behind the centre-back and latched himself to his back in a big hug.

Tottenham fans will be hoping their players are still in such high spirits once Thursday night's match against AZ comes to a close.

Spurs' season-defining game and the big Archie Gray question - click here to listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham.

James Maddison has revealed the standard in Tottenham training has been "unbelievable" ahead of their season-defining game against AZ Alkmaar. Currently 13th in the Premier League table and eight points off the top half, the Europa League is Spurs' only chance of winning silverware this season after crashing out of the FA Cup and Carabao Cup.

Tottenham head into Thursday's game against AZ trailing 1-0 after defeat in the Netherlands last week. Ange Postecoglou's side were extremely poor in their loss at AFAS Stadion and only managed one shot on target across the 90 minutes.

Spurs fared slightly better against Bournemouth three days later and managed to come out of the game with a point after fighting back from a 2-0 deficit. Now going into a huge fixture in Tottenham's season, Maddison has opened up on finding his name in the headlines and what he has noticed on the training pitch prior to Thursdays' AZ encounter.

"Yeah but that's okay, I'd rather that than them talk about Archie [Gray] or Lucas [Bergvall]," he said when speaking in an interview with Sky Sports about if he feels he gets talked about a bit too much. "I don't mind taking the heat a little bit. I'm big enough and ugly enough now to take the hits and take the criticism because I know what I'm capable of, I know what I can do, I know my personal level and what people don't see is what we do behind the scenes and how much we're trying to improve and how much we work and it's very cheap to go and sit and talk and criticise.

"Training today, the standard was unbelievable and lads working really hard because we drew at home to Bournemouth, lads are not happy, so they don't see that it hurts us as well when we're not doing well in the league.

"I feel good, I actually feel pretty good, feel pretty sharp, really looking forward to Thursday and beyond, try and finish the season special as a team, try and finish the season strong personally, still have a really good season in terms of goals and assists and try and look for the positives and try and spread that through the dressing room instead of focusing on the negatives and the doom and gloom of the league position."

Maddison and his teammates are certainly well aware of just how big the Europa League clash against AZ Alkmaar is. "Yeah, we know what it means to us, the fans, everyone, we're all on the same page," he admitted.

"The first leg obviously wasn't good enough, tough conditions on a tough pitch to play the way we want to play, but it's only 1-0, they've got to come to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and if the fans get behind us and have the place rocking like we know they can."

On if that is a message to the fans, he replied: "No, I think they've been brilliant, especially in Europe as well, the midweek ones are tough in the middle of the week because people have lives and jobs and kids, I know all that, it doesn't go unappreciated and unnoticed. So just more of that, more of what we've seen in Europe so far.

"I remember the game we played against them [AZ Alkmaar] in the group stage. We were doing pretty well, I captained the side and the atmosphere was brilliant that night, we won 1-0. We're going to need more of that and we need to give them something to shout about and the lads are going to be up for it and we're going to start fast and hopefully we can get the job done."

Spurs' season-defining game and the big Archie Gray question - click here to listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham.

All eyes will be on Ange Postecoglou's centre-back selection when Tottenham host AZ Alkmaar in the Europa League on Thursday evening. Opting for Kevin Danso and Archie Gray as the pairing in the Netherlands last week despite the return of Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven to the matchday squad, things could certainly look different at the back in the return leg.

Postecoglou did shuffle things about in defence for Sunday's 2-2 draw at home to Bournemouth, with Romero partnering Danso as the World Cup winner made his first appearance of 2025. Last featuring for Spurs in the 4-3 defeat at home to Chelsea in December after sustaining a thigh issue, the 26-year-old understandably looked rather rusty and almost gifted the Cherries an opener after 25 seconds with a poor pass that Evanilson failed to convert.

Romero, who captained Spurs on the day, fared better as the game wore on before making way for Micky van de Ven on 61 minutes. Speaking after the game, Postecoglou opened up on his returning players and went into a bit more detail on Romero's showing.

"Yeah, that's the key thing, they got minutes," he explained. "Romero just great to get him back out there. He's such an important player for us but you could see he hasn't played for a while. I thought he grew into the game and got a lot better as it went on.

"Great for Dom to get 90 minutes today, he's such a workhorse for us and I'm sure he'll feel better for that. Brilliant to get Micky out there as well. I think before Thursday night that was key for us to get some minutes into these guys and thankfully they got through it unscathed."

On Romero, he added: "Not surprised, he hasn’t played for a very long time. He's hardly played this year to be fair. Cuti will be disappointed with that himself but at the same time what was much more important for me was how grew into his game, his defensive work, his aerial ability.

"I mean he was on the end of almost every cross they put into the box from corners and I think for him he will feel a lot better just having played. The idea was only to play 45 today, but he was keen to stay on for a bit longer and you could see he grew into the game and was really important for us."

A huge boost to have his first-choice defensive pairing available to him once again after so long in the treatment room, Postecoglou now faces a crucial call over whether one of the duo starts against AZ or they are both in from the off. In a match where Tottenham's season is on the line, some may have reservations about starting two players with a real lack of minutes to their name in recent months.

However, the head coach's "I think before Thursday night that was key for us to get some minutes into these guys" comment from his post-match press conference could potentially hint at starting berths and key roles for both Romero and Van de Ven. That would particularly be harsh on Danso if he dropped out of the XI but the Austrian said ahead of last week's game in the Netherlands that he is "looking forward to that challenge" with his fellow centre-backs and that he is "going to push them, they're going to push me".

There is of course Gray to consider for the centre-back role despite the return of Romero and Van de Ven. The teenager was a shining light for Tottenham in a position he is not familiar with and he will also be refreshed after not featuring at all against Bournemouth on Sunday.

Postecoglou has plenty of options in such a key position for the first time in a long time and his final selection may well spark debate amongst fans. Whoever he picks hopefully proves to be the right choice as Tottenham look to come from behind to secure a spot in the final eight of the Europa League.

Spurs' season-defining game and the big Archie Gray question - click here to listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham.

It all comes down to Thursday evening for Tottenham as they look to keep their Europa League dreams alive. Heading into the knockout phase as the bookies' favourites to win the competition in Bilbao come May, Spurs trail AZ Alkmaar 1-0 ahead of the crucial return leg.

Ange Postecoglou's side were far from their best in the Netherlands six days ago and they could potentially pay the ultimate price with their opponents currently in the driving seat to progress. Spurs need to offer so much more in the second leg and all connected with the club will be hoping they can come from behind to make the final eight.

Postecoglou will make changes to his Tottenham team as Rodrigo Bentancur is ineligible for the game after picking up a one-match ban for three yellow cards in the competition. The head coach could also look to make some further alterations to ensure that Tottenham do give AZ a game this time and qualify for the quarter-finals in the progress.

So who should be in the Tottenham team to take on AZ? Our Spurs writers at football.london have made their team selections below:

Alasdair Gold - Tottenham Hotspur correspondent

Postecoglou has to get his team selection for this game spot on as Tottenham's season having any real meaning hinges on the final score at the final whistle on Thursday.

I would be surprised if he doesn't bring Destiny Udogie back in at left-back and then you can't drop Djed Spence right now as he's the most confident player Spurs have got along with Lucas Bergvall. In the centre of defence it's time to reinstate the Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven pairing for the big occasion, with Kevin Danso expected to miss a spell with a muscle injury.

In the midfield Rodrigo Bentancur is suspended and Yves Bissouma was poor on Sunday afternoon and was hooked at half-time against Bournemouth, but I do wonder how much Postecoglou will want to push Pape Matar Sarr during Ramadan when the 22-year-old isn't eating or drinking until sundown. This being a night match obviously helps but it's not ideal for his fitness levels with training each day.

Son Heung-min and James Maddison will return to the line-up and we could finally see Mathys Tel linking up with Dominic Solanke in the front three.

Gold's team: Vicario; Spence, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Bergvall, Bissouma, Maddison; Tel, Solanke, Son.

Rob Guest - Football writer

Postecoglou's team selection for the AZ Alkmaar showdown is huge considering it is the team's last remaining chance of winning silverware this season. Cristian Romero didn't have the best of games against Bournemouth but he should keep his place in the team with Micky van de Ven coming in alongside him.

You could make a case for Pedro Porro dropping out but AZ are going to be a tough nut to crack and his crossing ability is going to be needed across the 90 minutes and possibly beyond. In midfield, Lucas Bergvall could be the player who starts in the No.6 role and dictates play as James Maddison and Pape Matar Sarr, who did well against Bournemouth and deserves to keep his place, start ahead of him.

Maddison really needs to be Tottenham's creative force on Thursday evening in Dejan Kulusevski's absence as they didn't do enough one week ago in the first leg clash in Alkmaar. Mathys Tel then gets the nod to start in the front three alongside Dominic Solanke and Son Heung-min as Spurs now have the options to allow the Frenchman to play from out wide.

Guest's team: Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Spence; Bergvall, Sarr, Maddison; Tel, Solanke, Son.

Spurs' season-defining game and the big Archie Gray question - click here to listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham.

Tottenham have it all to do as they look to progress through to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Europa League. Taking on AZ Alkmaar in the Netherlands last Thursday, Ange Postecoglou's side lost 1-0 courtesy of a freak Lucas Bergvall own goal.

Failing to lay a glove on their Dutch opponents across the 90 minutes, Spurs are thankfully not further behind going into the deciding leg at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as their opponents wasted some excellent chances to add to the scoreline. Tottenham have already beaten AZ at home in the Europa League this season and they need to do the same again on Thursday night to progress to the last eight.

The winner of the tie between Tottenham and AZ will take on either Ajax or Eintracht Frankfurt in the quarter-finals. Eintracht are currently on track to prevail after clinching a 2-1 win in Amsterdam last week.

If Spurs are to advance to the next stage of the competition then they will have to do so without Rodrigo Bentancur. The midfielder picked up his third booking of the Europa League campaign last week and now he will serve a one-match ban as punishment.

Due to UEFA's rules for yellow cards, a couple of Tottenham players are still running the risk of suspension ahead of a possible quarter-final tie.

Article 63.02 of the UEFA Europa League regulations states: "From the first match in the league phase, players and team officials are suspended for the next competition match after three cautions, that did not result in a red card, as well as after any subsequent odd-numbered caution (fifth, seventh, ninth, etc.)."

Yellow cards are carried over from the league phase and are not wiped out until the conclusion of the quarter-final stage. Article 63.04 states: "Exceptionally, all yellow cards and pending yellow-card suspensions expire on completion of the play-offs. They are not carried forward to the league phase. In addition, all yellow cards expire on completion of the quarter-finals. They are not carried forward to the semi-finals."

Two Tottenham players will be walking the disciplinary tightrope on Thursday evening as they are currently one yellow card away from serving a one-match ban. Yves Bissouma and Bergvall are the two players in question after both picking up two bookings apiece since Tottenham started their Europa League journey back in September.

Dejan Kulusevski is also on two yellow cards but he is not expected to return from a foot injury until after this month's international break. However, the Swede will have to watch his step in the quarter-finals in early April should Spurs complete their comeback against AZ.

Radu Dragusin is another Spurs star on two yellow cards in Europe but he cannot obtain a one-match ban as he is out for the remainder of the season through injury and no longer in Spurs' European squad as a result.

Spurs' season-defining game and the big Archie Gray question - click here to listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham.

Kevin Danso could be set for a spell on the sidelines with a muscle injury suffered in Tottenham's draw with Bournemouth, football.london understands.

Due to injuries to others, the 26-year-old centre-back has had to play almost every single minute since arriving at Spurs from Lens in the winter transfer window on loan with an obligation to buy him in the summer. The Austria international has filled in admirably during a period with Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven and Ben Davies all out for most of his time at the club.

football.london reported after the weekend's game that Danso looked to be struggling towards the very end of the 2-2 draw with the Cherries and then could be seen heading straight down the tunnel at the final whistle at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with medical staff flanking him on either side, as he held the hamstring on his right leg with his shorts on that side pulled up.

Danso has earned plenty of praise from Ange Postecoglou for his performances since joining the club but could now be set for a period on the sidelines. At least for Postecoglou, he does now finally have Romero and Van de Ven back, and said on Friday that Davies is now back in training. Archie Gray has also filled in as a centre-back for much of this season due to the various injuries within the squad.

On top of that, the upcoming international break with no Tottenham fixtures for two weekends will eat into any potential time Danso might miss.

The Tottenham boss will deliver the latest news on the severity of Danso's problem at his press conference on Wednesday ahead of the crucial Europa League round of 16 second leg tie with AZ Alkmaar on Thursday evening.

Spurs' season-defining game and the big Archie Gray question - click here to listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham.