A mouth watering contest if
ever there was one, Ajax come up against Real Madrid in a battle of
European greats. Both clubs have 13 European Cups between them, nine
for Madrid and 'just' the four, for AFC Ajax. But the Dutch title
holders will be looking to make it third time lucky when Group D
rivals Madrid travel to the Amsterdam Arena. For two seasons running
Madrid have beaten Ajax home an away racking up 12 goals and
conceding none in the process. Consigning them to third place and an
early exit.Ajax got off to a losing
start in this seasons group stage, succumbing to an 87th
minute goal against German Champions Borussia Dortmund. Madrid hosted
Manchester City for their first outing into Europe this season,
beating the Premier League winners with a late goal from who else but
Cristiano Ronaldo to take them top of the group.Many would argue Madrid
haven't hit top form yet, after losses in La Liga against Getafe and
Sevilla but when it comes to Europe Madrid are always favourites.
Mourinho will be looking for more consistency from his team as he
looks to continue their run of three consecutive wins including a 5-1
thrashing of Deportivo at the weekend, which showed glimpses of
Ronaldo at his best as he bagged a hat-trick, that combined with
Real's recent record against Ajax means things are looking ominous
for Frank de Boer's side.Last Five Results: W-L-W-W-WAjax, currently placed 3rd
in the Eredivisie have had an inconsistent start to their season.
Drawing two of their last five league games and losing to Dortmund in
the Champions League, but the Dutch team will be buoyed by their
recent victory over rivals FC Twente. Frank de Boer will be looking
to guide his team out of the group stage in Europe this season after
Ajax failed in their previous two attempts to seriously challenge for
the cup that they were so accustomed to winning in the past.Last Five Results: D-W-L-D-WWith a team like Real Madrid
it's nearly impossible to pick one stand out player when arguably any
of their starting XI could walk in to almost any team in the world.
An obvious choice would be Cristiano Ronaldo, the worlds most
expensive footballer and one of the most impressive players to grace
the game. He has it all: strength, power, vision, accuracy and
agility. These attributes make him a deadly strike force, who can
change a game in the blink of an eye. His late goal against
Manchester City in the previous group match highlights that. But I'm
going with Xabi Alonso, when he plays well, Madrid play well, pulling
the stings from the centre of the pitch. The former Liverpool man has
been a first team regular since his move from Liverpool in 2009.
Making over 100 appearances for the Spanish Champions.Christian Eriksen is my man
to watch from Ajax, and although he isn't a direct product of the
famed youth academy which has produced an amazing array of talent
such as Van Basten, Rijkaard, Bergkamp, Van der Vaart and Wesley
Sniejder he has still benefited from their expertise in nurturing
young players and moulding them into potential world beaters. He
joined the club in the October of 2008 from Odense Boldklub after
reaching the semi-finals of the Danish youth championships and being
named 'Best Technical Player' going one better a season later to win
the tournament where he scored the only goal in the final. He is now
a regular in the first time at Ajax and attracts scouts from the
biggest clubs in the world with impressive performances in the Dutch
league and in Europe.Madrid coach Jose Mourinho
typically favours the 4-2-3-1 formation. With Xabi Alonso and Sami
Khedira sitting in front of the defence, spraying passes across the
pitch and cutting off opposition attacks with their tough tackling.
The attacking midfield trio is usually formed of Mesut Ozil in the
centre with Cristiano Ronaldo on the left flank and Argentine
international Angel Di Maria on the right. In the centre of attack
will be Higuain or Benzema who rely on the service from the wide men
and the creative midfielders behind them.Likely Line-up:
Casillas – Sergio Ramos, Varane, Pepe, Marcelo – Xabi Alonso,
Khedira – Di Maria, Ozil, Ronaldo - Higuain
Ajax have been using a fluid
4-3-3 formation, reverting to the 'Ajax way' says Frank de Boer. The
forward Siem de Jong plays as a false number 9 while Eriksen is the
most attacking of the midfield three, often overlapping de Jong. The
two full backs are positioned very high up the pitch. Christian
Poulsen usually plays as the deepest of the three midfielders who
often drops back between the two central defenders who spread out to
cover wide positions.Likely Line-up: Kenneth
Vermeer – van Rhijn, Alderweireld, Moisander, Blind – de Jong,
Poulsen, Eriksen – Sana, Babel, BoerrigterThe
two European giants have crossed swords on no less than ten times,
five two leg ties in the Champions League and European Champion
Club's Cup have seen Madrid edge Ajax in the head to head stats,
winning five out the ten games losing four and drawing one, scoring
16 goals in the process. The last time Ajax beat Madrid they went on
to win the Champions League in 1996, maybe that will act as an extra
incentive to this young Dutch side.
Ajax
have a prestigious history in Holland and in Europe, winning the
Dutch title 31 times. Along with the KNVB Cup 18 times, the Johan
Cruijff Shield 7 times, the Intercontinental Cup two times, the
Champions League four times, the European Club Winner's Cup once, the
UEFA Cup once and the UEFA Super Cup twice. Quite a haul of trophies
by anyone's standards.Real
have an equally impressive if not more so trophy cabinet than Ajax
with nine European Cups two UEFA cups, 32 La Liga titles, 18 Copa del
Ray titles, nine Spanish Super Cup wins and also the trophy for Best
club of the 20th
century.Madrid
will be hoping this seasons outing into Europe will prove more
successful than the last after being knocked out by Bayern Munich and
with the Madrid faithful waiting a decade for another European
victory Jose Mourinho wont want to disappoint again.
Prediction: Real
Madrid 3 Ajax 1
While I think Madrid will
win this tie, they wont have it as easy as in previous years. But a
win for Real will put them firmly in control of the group and a draw
the likely outcome for Dortmund against City, a sizable gap should
appear between 1st and 2nd place.
Source: DSG