After blanking against Czech Republic’s no.1 on the weekend, Troy Parrott has the chance to boost morale for club and country against Sparta Prague
AZ Alkmaar striker Troy Parrott will be hoping to end his European goal drought when his side face Sparta Prague in the Conference League round of 16 tie, which would do wonders for both his own confidence, and his country’s.
The striker has enjoyed one of the most productive seasons of his career so far, registering an impressive 31 goal contributions in 37 appearances across all competitions for AZ.
Additionally, he has five goals for Ireland this campaign – two against Portugal, and that now infamous second-half hat-trick against Hungary that has set up a World Cup playoff against the Czech Republic on March 26.
Yet despite that prolific form, Parrott is still searching for his first goal in the main phase of the Conference League this campaign.
The 24-year-old scored seven goals in AZ‘s five UECL qualifiers earlier in the season, but across seven matches in the league phase he has been unable to add to his European tally.
For a striker who has been scoring consistently in domestic competitions, and is the talisman of his side, it is a rather unusual dry spell. The Dutch side enter the knockout tie looking to bounce back from a difficult week in the Eredivisie, having suffered back-to-back league defeats.
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And it is not only AZ who will be hoping their forward can rediscover his scoring touch on the continental stage against Czech giants Sparta Prague – so will his country.
As Ireland face the Czech Republic on March 26 in the 2026 World Cup playoff, the motivation is two-fold for the former Tottenham striker.
Parrott blanks against Czech no.1
Last weekend, AZ Alkmaar lost against league leaders PSV Eindhoven (2-1), a match in which Parrott was unable to find the net – the person in goal for PSV just happened to be Czech Republic’s no.1 goalkeeper Matěj Kovář.
That detail adds an intriguing subplot ahead of Ireland’s upcoming World Cup qualifier against the Czech Republic. While he was unable to score against Kovář, Parrott has the perfect opportunity in the Conference League to bounce back and send a message to the Czech Republic ahead of Ireland’s playoff later this month.
Breaking his Conference League drought against Sparta Prague would not only help AZ gain an advantage in the tie, but it could also provide the Irish striker with a timely boost of confidence before that massive tie in Prague on March 26.
Parrott already demonstrated his ability to rise to the occasion for his country earlier in the campaign when he scored a hat-trick in Ireland’s memorable victory over Hungary to secure their place in World Cup qualifying.
Now the challenge is to translate that form back onto the European stage, and carry that into the upcoming playoff tie with Ireland.
Troy Parrott’s Czech list in March
- AZ Alkmaar vs Sparta Prague – March 12
- Sparta Prague vs AZ Alkmaar – March 19
- Czech Republic vs Ireland – March 26
Troy Parrott stats (this season – club)
- Appearances: 37
- Goals: 24
- Assists: 7