Champions League: Liverpool Cannot Afford to Overlook Ajax

Liverpool vs Ajax

After suffering a stunning defeat to Napoli in their Champions League opener, struggling Liverpool will be looking for their first points of the group stage when they host Ajax at Anfield.

The Reds will be well-rested after the Premier League’s postponement of this weekend’s matches, and they will likely have a couple of key players back in the starting lineup.

But even still, beating the Dutch champions will be easier said than done. Despite losing their coach as well as a number of key players this summer, Ajax remain as dominant as ever in the Dutch Eredivisie and are also coming off a 4-0 rout of Rangers in their Champions League opener.

Talking Points

Reinforcements coming for struggling Liverpool

All is not well at Liverpool. After back-to-back wins in the Premier League, including a record 9-0 battering of Bournemouth, the Reds have failed to win their last two. They were held to a goalless draw by Everton in the Merseyside derby and were then trounced 4-1 by Napoli in their Champions League opener.

The Napoli defeat was a culmination of the problems that had begun to pop up for the Reds early on this season.

Jurgen Klopp has been afforded a full week to address his side’s issues after the postponement of their weekend fixture, and that extra time has also allowed some of his key stars to return to full fitness.

Centre-back Joel Matip finally made his return from injury in the second half against Napoli, and he is almost surely set to replace Joe Gomez, who was disastrous in their defeat in Naples.

Similarly, Thiago also came back to play the last half hour in the Napoli loss. The Liverpool midfield has been a shambles in his absence, so his presence should massively boost the Reds’ Champions League 2022 betting odds.

Elsewhere, either Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota is expected to start up front over Roberto Firmino, while Mohamed Salah will be desperate to snap his four-match scoring drought in all competitions.

Ajax still dominant despite key departures

Ajax have barely missed a beat this season despite losing head coach Erik ten Hag, as well as stars Antony, Lisandro Martinez, Sebastien Haller and Ryan Gravenberch in the summer.

New coach Alfred Schreuder has led the Godenzonen to a perfect start in the Eredivisie with six wins out of six, including 21 goals scored. And they looked equally dominant in their Champions League opener as they crushed last year’s losing Europa League finalists Rangers 4-0.

Ajax produced Champions League 2022 highlights aplenty as they controlled 75 per cent of possession and had 17 shots, 9 of which were on target.

Ex-Tottenham striker Steven Bergwijn has been outstanding thus far with six goals in six games. Meanwhile, midfielder Mohammed Kudus is thriving in his new role as a false 9 and has scored four goals in his last three appearances.

But as dominant as Ajax have looked in the early going, there are still a few question marks about their new-look defence. Ajax lost the Dutch Super Cup 5-3 against rivals PSV, and Liverpool will prove to be a significantly tougher test than that.

32-year-old Daley Blind has been starting at left-back for the injured Owen Wijndal, but his lack of pace could be a liability against the likes of Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold.

History

Liverpool and Ajax are two of the most storied clubs in Champions League history and both went through the group stage last season undefeated. But curiously, this will be just the fifth-ever meeting between the two European giants.

The two sides last met during the group stage of the 2020-21 season, with Liverpool winning both matches 1-0. Ajax’s defeat at Anfield was one of their two away defeats in their last 25 games in European competition.

Prior to 2020-21, they also faced off in the 1966-67 European Cup. That time, though, Ajax emerged victorious 7-3 over two legs, which a 5-1 win in the first leg in Amsterdam.

Betting Tip

Despite their recent issues, SBOTOP odds still have Liverpool installed as massive 1.51 favourites to win at Anfield. Ajax are priced at 5.20, while a draw is 4.70.

Liverpool have never lost their first two games of a Champions League campaign, and with Matip and Thiago set to return to the fold, it’s hard to see them falling to Ajax.

But take a look at betting on the total as well. While both clubs are quite capable of scoring a few goals, look for this match to be quite competitive and low-scoring just like their last meetings a couple of seasons ago.

 

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