The absence of Smit was already in line with expectations. The midfielder from Heiloo was missing last Sunday to visit NEC due to a slight injury. In the run -up to the Duel in Nijmegen, Smit also did not train with the selection.
The lack of Clasie does come as a slight surprise. The captain of AZ played in Nijmegen and had to get off the field with red just before time. However, Clasie has left complaints from that competition and therefore remains in the Netherlands.
Parrott and Maikuma
In addition to Smit and Clasie, Troy Parrott and Seiya Maikuma are not yet present in Cyprus. The duo is still struggling with injuries. In the 20-person selection, trainer Maarten Martens did not call up substitutes for Smit and Clasie.
The Aek Larnaca – AZ match starts on Thursday evening at 9 p.m. and can be followed live via our live blog on nhsport.nl. On Sunday at 4.45 pm the derby between AZ and Telstar is on the program. That duel can be heard on NH Radio and of course also through our live blog.