Where many football clubs struggled with corona outbreaks during the winter break, AZ claimed that the first team had escaped the dance. The NHD announced today that Bruno Martins Indi was indeed infected in Spain and for that reason also later returned to the Netherlands.
Martins Indi was absent from the resumption of competition because he had to recover from toe surgery. According to the newspaper, that is true, but the footballer had also tested positive. Technical director Max Huiberts said at the time that thanks to its own bubble, AZ had the corona situation ‘well under control’.
In the same period, two matches of Jong AZ had to be postponed due to a corona outbreak. Jansen replied in the preview of the match against Fortuna Sittard that there was no contamination at AZ 1: “No, at the moment we only have a number of boys who are physically unable to play, including Bruno (Martins Indi, red. .) who had surgery on his toe. He has to wait a little longer.”
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“Perhaps I chose the words wrong in that situation”, Jansen responds this afternoon at the training center in Wijdewormer to his statements from then. To add that he thinks the matter shouldn’t be made bigger than it is either.
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Pascal Jansen about the corona infection of Martins Indi during the training camp – NH Sport / Edward Dekker
Martins Indi is now back and he scored the 1-1 against PSV in Eindhoven last Saturday. Norwegian Aslak Witry was missing in that game and will return to the selection for tomorrow evening’s KNVB cup match against RKC Waalwijk. Jansen: “I’m very happy with that.” He did not want to reveal whether the right back is preferred over Yukinaki Sugawara. Except for the long-term disabled Jelle Duin, Ernest Poku and Maxim Dekker are missing, because they played against Villarreal with AZ in the Youth League.
Lost to RKC
AZ does not keep good memories of the league match earlier this season at RKC. Thanks to a goal by Michiel Kramer, the Alkmaarders lost 1-0.
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Pascal Jansen about RKC – NH Sport / Edward Dekker
According to Jansen, a lot has changed at the Brabanders since then and something else stands out. “In their matches in the cup competition, they have used a number of players who don’t get to play in the Eredivisie. I don’t know how they are allowed to do that. RKC has a variable way of playing. They may still have surprises. a match.”
AZ eliminated Heracles Almelo (4-1) and FC Twente (1-2) in the previous rounds. RKC beat Willem II (3-0), Harkemase Boys (0-5) and after extension ADO Den Haag (4-2). The kick-off at RKC – AZ is at 7 p.m. You can follow this match in the quarterfinals of the KNVB Cup directly in an extra radio broadcast by NH Sport. You get the commentary from Erik-Jan Brinkman and Edward Dekker.
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