Tottenham’s last stand: Spurs must beat AZ Alkmaar to keep European dream alive | OneFootball

Tottenham Hotspur have one final chance to keep their European dream alive when they host AZ Alkmaar in the second leg of their Europa League tie on Thursday.

Lucas Bergvall’s bizarre own goal is the only thing separating the sides after a frustrating first leg in the Netherlands. A place in the quarter-finals against either Eintracht Frankfurt or Ajax is up for grabs.

For manager Ange Postecoglou, this is the defining match of the season. Following exits from both domestic cups, his ambitions of ending the club’s trophy drought rest solely on this competition.

The Australian has always embraced the pressure of delivering silverware, but his side must prove they can rise to the occasion.

“We need to put in a better performance than we did last Thursday,” he said. “That wasn’t anywhere near the standard we want to play.”

Tottenham took 10 points from a possible 12 during the league phase of the competition. That included a 1-0 victory over AZ.

Their attack is rarely an issue at home, as they have scored in each of their last 29 Europa League matches – a competition record. However, defensive frailties remain a concern.

Bournemouth exposed those weaknesses on Sunday, scoring twice and threatening to put the game out of reach before Tottenham’s late rally salvaged a point.

“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,” Postecoglou added.

AZ’s 1-0 victory last week ended a 10-game winless run against English clubs, but history is firmly against them.

They have lost all nine of their previous trips to England in European competition – a record no other club has endured.

They have also failed to win any of their last 10 away matches in Europe, meaning another defeat would equal their worst-ever run.

Postecoglou is counting on his senior players to step up. “(Christian) Romero, (James) Maddison, (Guglielmo) Vicario and Sonny (Heung-min Son) – they are our four leaders,” he said.

“Having all four of them out there will definitely be beneficial.”

A comeback is needed, and Tottenham must show they are capable of delivering when it matters most.