AMSTERDAM – Europa League hunters AZ Alkmaar are crossing fingers that top gun Aron Jóhannsson will be able to beat an ankle nag in time to help host Eredivisie postseason semifinal foe Heerenveen on Wednesday.
The US forward, who has but one goal in his last nine outings across three competitions, missed out on Saturday's regular season closer against Feyenoord at AFAS-Stadion.
"He just has problems with his ankle for a while," AZ press officer Daan Schippers told MLSsoccer.com. "We have to wait and see if he will be ready for Wednesday."
The Cheese Farmers will definitely want Jóhannsson back for the two-leg affair with Heerenveen, which will be played in the span of four days. The Alabama-born striker has a team-best 26 goals to go with seven assists in 51 overall games this term, and is the only center forward on the roster with a league tally for the club to his credit.
Having suffered an Eredivisie sweep at the boots of Heerenveen this season, AZ also enters the postseason playoff winless in eight games. The team has scored but five goals in that span, during which they dropped out of both the Europa League and KNVB Cup.
