Spurs find out Europa League Round of sixteen opponents | OneFootball

Friday afternoon at midday saw the Round of sixteen draw take place after the completion of last night's play-off ties, that saw the sides that finished from 9th-24th face off for a match up against one of the top eight. Spurs were part of this top eight and therefore earned themselves some well needed rest from the busy schedule they were having to deal with.

Ange Postecoglou would have been delighted with how the league phase went in the Europa League, as the Lilywhites picked up seventeen points from a possible twenty four, winning five, drawing two and losing just the one, to Galatasaray back in November.

After the draw was made this lunchtime, it was revealed that the North Londoners would be meeting some very familiar opposition in the next round, as it was Dutch outfit AZ Alkmaar who were pulled out of the pot. The sides have already met each other in this campaign's competition, where a 53rd minute penalty was converted by Brazilian striker Richarlison proved to be the difference between the two teams. AZ however did finish the game with ten men when David Moeller Wolfe was sent off for a second bookable offence with five minutes of normal time remaining.

The Dutch club overcame the only side that beat Spurs in the league phase, Galatasaray, as mentioned above. They cruised to an easy 4-1 win at home in the first leg and then played out a 2-2 draw in Istanbul last night. Obviously football doesn't work like that, but Spurs will be weary of Alkmaar's qualities. They have experience in going deep into the latter stages of Europe, reaching the Conference League semi-finals in 2023, albeit losing to eventual winners and Spurs' London rivals West Ham United.

Which players should Spurs watch out for?

Alkmaar have an exciting squad filled with some talented individuals, and they could definitely cause the side from N17 some damage, especially in front of their fans at the AFAS Stadion. One player Spurs should be weary of is familiar face Troy Parrott, who came through the club's academy before being permanently sold to the Dutch side in the summer. The Irishman caught the eye of the club when he impressed at fellow Eredivisie team Excelsior last campaign, scoring ten goals despite the side being relegated to the second tier of Dutch football. He has also netted four times and got an assist in this years Europa League proving to be a reliable goal scorer for Maarten Martens' side.

Sven Mijnans has also impressed for Alkmaar this season, who just like Parrott has scored four goals and got a further assist in the competition so far, including a stunning left footed free kick in the win against Galatasaray last week, so Spurs will not want to give any dangerous set pieces away from shooting range. The 24-year-old creative midfielder has been a very consistent part of the team this season, starting all but one of Alkmaar's league and Europa League games, with the only one he didn't feature in the starting eleven was last night's draw in Turkey when the tie was effectively over anyway.

The games will take place on the 6th and 13th of March, with the Dutch outfit being at home first before a second leg at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in which should be a really interesting tie with the game very much in the balance. Spurs will be favourites for this match up but we all know football isn't played on paper and Ange will know his side will have to be at their best.

The winner of the tie will be met in the quarter-finals by another Dutch club in Ajax or 2022 winners Eintracht Frankfurt. Again, two very good teams proving that their is no hiding place at this stage of the tournament, every match up is going to be tough.