Benfica vs Ajax
There’s a whole lot at stake in Lisbon on Wednesday, when Erik ten Hag’s flying Dutchmen will try to deal a knockout blow to Benfica in a massive Euro clash.
Champions League, Benfica vs Ajax at the Estadio Da Luz is the big game in a group which also contains FC Bayern and AEK Athens, and a win for the visitors would see them through to the next stage while almost certainly knocking out their hosts.
Ajax sits proudly at the top of Group E alongside FC Bayern, but Benfica is still in the hunt, and a win on Wednesday will lift the Encarnardo’s to within a point of second place.
The latest Benfica vs Ajax odds slightly favour the hosts, but current form is very much in the Dutch corner. They may be from the lesser leagues, but make no mistake; these are two giants of European football.
Talking points
Benfica manager Rui Vitoria is contracted to stay in Lisbon until 2020 but the Encarnardos have been having a tricky time of it in recent weeks, and have already been beaten by Ajax in this competition. A 1-3 defeat at the weekend to Moreirense was hardly the warm up Vitoria wanted for this crucial Champions League clash. It leaves his team fourth in the table and four points off the top of a league they should be leading.
It was a particularly disappointing day for the home fans after striker Jonas had put them ahead in the second minute. But Benfica shipped three first half goals before skipper Jardel was sent off in the second half. These two Brazilians are so influential for Benfica. The 32 year old captain is a big presence in defence, standing at 6 ft 4 in tall he’s been an uncompromising figure at the club for seven seasons, and also poses an attacking threat from set pieces.
Meanwhile Jonas has been prolific, scoring almost a goal a game since his arrival from Valencia in 2014. He passed the 100 goals mark for Benfica in just 114 games.
But the big news in Lisbon at the moment is the soaring value of 18 year old midfielder Joao Felix, tracked by Chelsea and already valued at £45m, he is reportedly about to be offered a new contract with a £109m release clause.
This Ajax team is beginning to attract attention outside the Eredivisie and we’ve been keeping an eye on Ten Hag’s side here at SBOBET. They are on an impressive run of form, winning their last five games, scoring 15 goals and conceding none, and before that they earned a Champions league draw with FC Bayern.
Noussair Mazraoui scored the equaliser as the Dutch matched the Bundesliga champions at the Allianz Arena. And that means he has two goals in the tournament, as has Nicolas Tagliafico. The Argentine full back bagged a brace in a win over AEK Athens and he’s admired by big some players in European football, including Arsenal’s head coach Unai Emery.
Tagliafico started all of Argentina’s games at Russia 2018, and has captained his nation in Leo Messi’s absence. He has become Ajax best defender, winning crucial tackles and rarely giving the ball away. Ten Hag has more proven quality in his squad.
Dusan Tadic and Daley Blind have both impressed, at times, in the Premier League, for Southampton and Manchester United, While Frenkie de Jong is improving all the time in midfield.
History
These are two proud clubs with rich traditions in their domestic leagues. Benfica’s golden period was in the sixties, when they won eight Primeira Ligas, inspired by the great Eusebio, the only player to win a Ballon D’Or for a Portuguese club. Meanwhile Ajax has dominated the Eridivisie for decades.
Both teams have fine European pedigrees too, Benfica winning the European Cup twice and finishing runner up five times, while Ajaxi has won Europe’s premier competition four times while reaching the final a further two.
Ajax comes into this fixture on the crest of a wave with five consecutive wins and an undefeated away run of four, including three victories. But Benfica has lost the last three, including the defeat in Amsterdam, but did win the three previous games.
Ten Hag’s outfit has the edge in the head to heads with two wins to the Portuguese team’s one. And the most famous clash of all came in 1972 when Johann Cruyff’s Ajax put Benfica out of the European Cup at the semi-final stage.
This promises to be a fascinating clash, and you’ll get all the best Benfica vs Ajax highlights right here at SBOBET.
Betting tip
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Benfica vs Ajax | Over 2.50 goals @ 1.95 |
| November 8, 04:00 (GMT+8) |
This is a really tight game to call with the hosts marginal favourites at 2.49 to win, with Ajax at 2.86 and the draw available at 3.15.
Ajax is the form side, but both teams can be destructive on their day. I see an attacking game as the Dutch team try to secure their place in the next round.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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 = €20 (Highly confident) |
= €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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