Troy Parrott heads back to North London with az alkmaar holding a one-goal advantage. The former Tottenham forward is the focal point for the visitors as Tottenham Hotspur host the second leg of their Europa League round of 16 tie at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, where the hosts need to overturn a 1-0 deficit on Thursday, 6 March at 8: 00 pm GMT (3: 00 pm ET). After a flat Spurs display in the Netherlands, Parrott’s return sharpens the stakes.
Troy Parrott at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Parrott is the name that lingers over this rematch. az alkmaar will turn to the former Spurs frontman on his return to North London, a simple, personal thread running through a tie otherwise defined by fine margins. In the first leg in the Netherlands, Ange Postecoglou’s side were second best at key moments, and a mistake from Lucas Bergvall led to the only goal of the evening. That left Tottenham on the back foot against an opponent few had tipped to carry an advantage into London.
Personnel will color Parrott’s night. For the hosts, Ben Davies is back available after a knock, while Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero are fit to feature, providing a defensive boost Tottenham lacked for stretches this season. Richarlison remains out and is forecast to be unavailable until April despite returning to training, while Rodrigo Bentancur is suspended after collecting one booking too many in the away leg. Parrott, meanwhile, stands as the visiting spearhead, the familiar face set against familiar stands.
Tottenham Hotspur’s 3: 00 pm ET kickoff and their narrow path
Everything now points to Thursday, 6 March at 8: 00 pm GMT (3: 00 pm ET) at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The match lands at a moment when Tottenham’s margin for error has thinned. Their last Premier League outing saw them come back from 2-0 down to salvage a point against Bournemouth. Yet the Europa League remains their last shot at silverware, and they have been considered among the favourites to lift the trophy. That status brings both possibility and pressure.
Postecoglou’s group must now match urgency with control. The first leg showed what a single lapse can cost in Europe. With a home crowd at their back, the task is clear: find the first goal, change the temperature of the tie, and avoid the kind of isolated mistake that tilted the balance in Alkmaar. In such a setting, every sprint, every touch, every decision feels larger than it did a week ago.
Az Alkmaar injuries and first-leg edge in London
For az alkmaar, the first leg delivered a double injury blow. Mayckel Lahdo was forced off inside the opening 10 minutes, and his replacement, Denso Kasius, was withdrawn on the hour. Both join Sven Mijnans, Ruben van Bommel, Jayden Addai and Mexx Meerdink on the sidelines. Still, the visitors arrive in London sixth in the Eredivisie, with three wins in their last five league matches, and a belief that their 1-0 lead can be the start of an upset if they can build on it.
The hosts balance their own absences with timely returns. Richarlison’s continued spell out, Bentancur’s suspension, and the earlier doubts around selection have been offset by Davies’ availability and the readiness of van de Ven and Romero. Those are the kinds of details that can reshape a European night: who is fit to press, who is there to clear the first cross, who can force the game’s first turn.
Parrott’s presence ties the threads together. He is both a marker of what has changed since the first whistle in the Netherlands and a reminder that a two-leg tie can hinge on a single strike. Tottenham, once again at home, know as much. az alkmaar, with the slim advantage in hand, have built a plan around that knowledge.
By the time it reaches 8: 00 pm GMT (3: 00 pm ET) on Thursday, 6 March, the picture will be simple. Parrott will step into North London colors not his own, Tottenham will look for the first goal, and the one-goal edge will either harden or vanish beneath the lights.
