It's a big ask for the Dutch side, though they haven't lost at home since the end of January, and have won the last three games at AFAS Stadion without conceding.
Smit has Europe's big guns drooling
Each AZ player will need to be at the top of their game and hope the Ukrainians have an off night if they are to have any hope of a semi-final berth, though manager Leeroy Echteld may be looking to one player in particular to keep AZ's European hopes alive.
At just 20 years of age, Kees Smit has got the cream of European football drooling, and it's easy to understand why.
Dutch head-coach Ronald Koeman recently compared him to Barcelona ace, Pedri, when he said: "The way he turns away from his opponent, the way he scans the area, his two-footedness... I saw that in Pedri, too.
"If he gets half his career, we’ll be very happy in the Netherlands."
Praised by Rio Ferdinand
Former England international centre-back, Rio Ferdinand, is also in no doubt as to the youngster's talent.
"Kees Smit is the real deal, I’m telling you," he said.
"I hope he breaks through and takes the world by storm. And if we (Man Utd) have to wait six months or a year for him, I don’t mind at all, because we absolutely cannot let him go to another club."
Both Barcelona and Real Madrid are amongst a whole host of clubs who allegedly have a vested interest in where the player goes next, and that could happen sooner rather than later.
Door open for a major move
"Basically, I want to play a lot; that’s important to me," Smit said after AZ's Conference League win over Sparta Prague.
"I could stay at AZ, but I don’t think that’s going to happen."
It's as close to a 'come and get me' plea as clubs are likely to get, and even with a contract that doesn't expire until the summer of 2028, there's every chance that a good offer for the player would be successful.
Smit arguably came to prominence when he helped the Netherlands U19 side win the 2025 European Championship, and was named as Player of the Tournament to boot.
Though he managed 30 appearances in all competitions last season for AZ, the creative midfielder already has 43 in 2025/26, with his goalscoring and assist output (four and eight, respectively) surpassing anything he's done before.
Great all-round talent
In short, whether as a No.10 or a deep-lying playmaker, he has almost become indispensable, often setting the pace and tempo in AZ's games.
Only Sven Mijnans has created more than Smit's 61 chances across competitions this season, whilst his 87.8% pass completion rate is only bettered by Wouter Goes and Alexandre Penetra, of AZ players with at least 1,500 passes made in the current campaign.
1,295 of Smit's total of 2,010 have been made in the opposition half, with 1,126 of those being successful. Though his pass accuracy in the opponent's half drops ever so slightly to 87%, it's actually the highest success rate in the squad, bar Jordy Clasie, who has played significantly fewer passes in that area of the pitch (344).
Aside from his obvious attacking qualities, the midfielder doesn't mind mixing it up in midfield when the game calls for a bit more physicality.
An underrated part of his game, Smit, nevertheless, has been involved in the second-highest amount of one-on-one duels in the squad (390), whilst his 207 ball recoveries in 25/26 are best-in-class among AZ outfield players.
His 74 tackles attempted are only bettered by Mateo Chavez (82), Mees De Wit (100) and Peer Koopmeiners (124), though Smit's 70.3% success rate is higher than all of those mentioned.
As an all-rounder, it's difficult to pinpoint a real weakness in the youngster's game, and if, as seems likely, he heads off to pastures new in the summer, AZ are really going to feel his absence in 2026/27.
Given the player's own desires, too, whoever is lucky enough to secure his services is almost certain to get a bargain, as no club wants a player around that could prove to be disruptive in the dressing room, and AZ aren't in a position where they can hold potential purchasers to ransom either.
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