Tottenham Hotspur youngster Archie Gray could make Europa League history and join Marcus Rashford in an exclusive club against AZ Alkmaar on Thursday night.
The Lilywhites are under pressure to overturn a 1-0 deficit from the first leg of their last-16 tie, having succumbed to defeat in the Netherlands last week courtesy of a Lucas Bergvall own goal.
Gray played the full 90 in that slender loss at the AFAS Stadion and has remarkably not missed a single minute of Europa League football for Spurs in the 2024-25 season, where his services have been invaluable.
Thanks to Tottenham's prior injury crisis at the back, the former Leeds United protege has already played 36 times in all competitions this season and has been deployed all across the backline in the Europa League.
After he was rested for the weekend's 2-2 draw with Bournemouth in the Premier League, Gray seemingly has a good chance of coming back into the starting lineup on Thursday, where he would make history by doing so.
Gray could achieve unprecedented Europa League feat against AZ
© Imago
Having already appeared from the off in Spurs' nine Europa League contests so far this season, Gray could now become the first English teenager to start 10 games in the competition in a single campaign.
Furthermore, only one English teenager has ever appeared in at least 10 Europa League matches in a single season before; Rashford featured 11 times for Manchester United in the 2016-17 edition.
However, the attacker only started eight of those fixtures - including the 2-0 win over Ajax in the final - and was brought off the bench in a further three continental matches by Jose Mourinho.
Gray's hopes of making history against AZ have received a boost thanks to a reported injury for January signing Kevin Danso, who is understood to have hurt his hamstring in the weekend's clash with Bournemouth.
The Lens loanee joins long-term ACL absentee Radu Dragusin on the sidelines, although Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero are both fit and raring to go again following lengthy absences.
History suggests Tottenham will prevail in AZ second leg
© Imago
Spurs may have put up little resistance in the first leg, but Ange Postecoglou got a measure of the response he was looking for in the second half of Sunday's battle with Bournemouth, as his side came from two goals down to draw.
Europa League history suggests that Tottenham will similarly be able to turn the tide against AZ Alkmaar, who have lost each of their previous nine away games against English teams in European competition.
With nine losses from nine such matches, AZ possess the worst losing record in European away games against English sides out of any club in history, while Spurs seldom fail to deliver in front of goal.
Indeed, the Lilywhites have managed to score in each of their last 29 home matches in the Europa League, including every one at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and the last time they drew a blank in such circumstances was in 2012, a goalless draw with Lazio at White Hart Lane.
Ben Knapton
