The match against the Slovaks, a team with a lot of experience, will be a tough one, Sven Mijnans predicts a day before the match. “An experienced team is more confident, a younger team has more fun here and there. Tomorrow’s team is actually like our first European match, they know what is required.”
First Conference League match a disgrace
The first game in the Conference League turned out to be a nightmare for AZ. After two minutes, Alexandre Penetra received a red card and after ninety minutes the scoreboard read 4-0 against AEK Larnaca in Cyprus. There are no real feelings of revenge for Mijnans: “That’s a big word. We did everything we could, but that red card was very unfortunate. On Thursday we start again from 0-0 and 11 against 11,” he concludes.
AZ is going downhill in the Conference League in Cyprus: ‘Everything went wrong here’
Due to that red card, Penetra cannot be used on Thursday. Martens: “Maxime Dekker could play there. Peer (Koopmeiners, ed.) has also played there, also in a European context.” The AZ coach also announced that Jordie Clasie will not be there, just like against Ajax. “The injury in his foot takes longer than expected, so he is not available for the time being.”
Two old acquaintances for Maarten Martens
Martens is keen to make up for the false start. He does this against a team of which he knows two players very well. “I have played together with Kyriakos Savvidis and Robert Mak. I have not spoken to them yet, maybe when I see them later. It is a team that knows what competing is and has experience at European level. That is only important if you can link it to team spirit and aggressiveness. They can really leave their mark on a match,” he warns.