Conference LeagueWith the injury of Hakon Evjen, AZ has again received an injury from a basic player. The Norwegian was injured after half an hour during the league match against FC Twente last Sunday and cannot participate in the Conference League match against FC Vaduz from Liechtenstein on Thursday evening. AZ is first in the group after last week’s victory over the Ukrainian Dnipro-1.
Due to Evjen’s injury, AZ has now lost all three attacking base players due to an injury. Linskbuiten Jesper Karlsson has not played a single minute this season and striker Vangelis Pavlidis has been out for several weeks. ,,Evjen’s injury will take a few weeks anyway, because he has some damage to the ankle”, said trainer Pascal Jansen on the eve of the match with FC Vaduz. Evjen will therefore not be there next Sunday in the home match against Ajax.
Without Karlsson, Pavlidis and Evjen, AZ will face FC Vaduz, an opponent who does not seem unbeatable in advance. But midfielder Dani de Wit and Jansen don’t want to hear about that. ,,We are looking forward to it and it will be a great game”, says De Wit, who has been remarkably effective this season. ,,I don’t see it as a warm-up for the game against Ajax for Sunday. Vaduz has eliminated Konyaspor and Rapid Wien, opponents are never easy in Europe.”
,,If you get to the group stage of the Conference League, you are a serious club,” said Jansen. ,,We are strong in the Netherlands to write down teams, but I think it is typical for Vaduz that they come out at the second level in Switzerland and yet perform so well in Europe.I think it is an interesting club.”
AZ is again playing an important duel against Ajax three days after the meeting with Vaduz. According to Jansen, it could be that in view of the busy program he gives the opportunity to other players in his basic team. In any case, he has to draft a replacement for Evjen. That could well be the Swede Mayckel Lahdo.
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