Ajax Amsterdam face BVB, who are level on points, in the Champions League on Tuesday. A look at the current form of the Dutch champions.
How is Ajax in form?
The Dutch champions once again lead the table, just one point ahead of PSV Eindhoven but with a goal difference that is 20 goals better. Ajax, who lost surprisingly at home to Utrecht before the international break, have conceded only two goals in nine games and scored a whopping 32. The first three home games in the league alone ended 5-0, 5-0 and 9-0.
Only in Enschede (1:1) and against Utrecht (0:1) were the fireworks absent, the dress rehearsal for the match against Dortmund ended with a less than exhilarating 2:0 victory in Heerenveen. Ajax also proved their class in the Champions League, winning 5:1 in Lisbon in the opener and 2:0 against Besiktas most recently.
What is the personnel situation?
Almost perfect. Because André Onana is still suspended (doping) and Maarten Stekelenburg had groin surgery, 37-year-old Remko Pasveer has been keeping goal for weeks. Otherwise, coach Erik ten Hag can almost draw on a full complement of players. Ex-Bremer Davy Klaassen, who has been ailing lately, is fit again, but substitute and newcomer Steven Berghuis did such a good job that Klaassen might have to stay on the bench. In that case, the in-form Brazilian Antony is likely to play on the right wing.
Where else does Ajax have problems?
The team that has dominated the Netherlands for the last three years and made a splash in the Champions League in 2019 has been continually strengthened and added to after the departures of Mathijs de Ligt and Frenkie de Jong. What remains is the question of international competitiveness. Ajax mastered the tasks against Sporting and Besiktas with flying colours, but the first big challenge now awaits them against BVB. And in the Supercup against PSV, Amsterdam went down 0:4.
Which player is in the spotlight?
Dusan Tadic is the captain and head of the team and with eleven direct contributions to the goal, he is once again the driving force of the offensive. After his winter transfer in pre-season, however, Sebastien Haller is also getting better and better into his stride. The ex-Frankfurt player leads the Champions League scoring charts with five goals – no player had ever scored so many times in his first two appearances in this competition – and also has six goals in the league.
Nevertheless, there is always criticism of Haller that he still misses too many chances. This even led to coach ten Hag feeling compelled to come to the attacker’s defence after the only defeat of the season so far against Utrecht. “Normally, one of his great strengths is that he converts chances well. I am convinced that he will still be decisive for us. “
What does the coach say?
“My players are looking forward to playing Haaland,” ten Haag said after the win in Heerenveen, but obviously had not asked his players at all. “He is an exceptional player and we want to compete with the best.” Davy Klaassen sees it differently: “Haaland can make something out of nothing, we saw that in Norway in the game against the Netherlands. If I had the choice, I’d rather he wasn’t there. “
