Ace Football previews the Champions League match between Liverpool and Ajax, and offers betting tips, odds, line-ups, and team news.
A clash of European royalty awaits as two teams with 10 Champions League titles between them in Liverpool and Ajax lock horns at Anfield.
The stakes are high heading into this one, with Group D leaders Liverpool only two points above Ajax in the table. Breathing down their necks are Atalanta, who are level on seven points with the latter and will face Midtjylland in the other group fixture. Neither of the three sides, therefore, can afford to slip-up.
Nicolas Tagliafico’s own goal settled the previous meeting between the two sides 1-0 in Liverpool’s favor. Another win would secure the Reds’ passage into the last-16. But the free-scoring Ajax have pulled off their fair share of upsets in the past and can put the hosts’ patched-up defense to the test on Tuesday night.
Liverpool Form & Stats
The six-time winners return to Anfield on the back of an infuriating 1-1 draw at Brighton. They were on the wrong end of some debatable VAR calls, involving two disallowed goals and an injury-time penalty in the Seagull’s favor.
Liverpool have now won just one of their last four games in all competitions and fell to a 2-0 home defeat to Atalanta in their last Champions League match. It was a surprise for everyone, considering they thrashed the Italian side 5-0 in Bergamo.
It was also the first time Jurgen Klopp’s men had lost at Anfield inside a 90-minute match since September 2018. No club had also beaten them by more than a one-goal margin at the venue since August 2015.
Adding to Klopp’s problems are the absences of several key players, including Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold.
The damage, however, can be limited if the Reds claim one more win. Wins in their opening three Group D games has left them top on nine points, and another will secure qualification into the last-16.
Key Team Stats
- Won just one of their last four Champions League home games (D1 L2).
- Won just one of their last four games in all competitions (D2 L1).
- Under 2.5 goals in seven of their last eight Champions League games.
- BTTS in four of their last six Champions League home games.
Ajax Form & Stats
The pressure will be on Ajax to pull something out of the bag at Liverpool, as Atalanta are expected to beat Midtjylland. And with both sides to square off in their last Group D fixture, the Dutch side can’t afford to leave Anfield empty-handed.
Erik ten Hag’s side are, though, on a brilliant run of form after winning their last six games in all competitions and going unbeaten in eight. 38 goals have also come their way in those eight matches, including a 13-0 win over VVV in the Eredivisie.
A solid defense, meanwhile, bodes well for their trip to England. They’ve kept three clean sheets in their last four outings and boast the Eredivisie’s best defensive record on five conceded goals and lead the points standings once more.
It’s also worth noting that Ajax are unbeaten in their last 11 away Champions League matches. Not even Chelsea (4-4), Tottenham (0-1), Juventus (1-2), or Real Madrid (1-4) have been able to put the brakes on the high-flying Dutch giants.
Thrashing bottom-placed side Emmen 5-0 away over the weekend also served as a decent warm-up. Now it’s about carrying over that winning mentality and hot goalscoring form to Liverpool.
Key Team Stats
- Won six of their last eight games in all competitions (D1 L1).
- Unbeaten in their last 11 away Champions League games & 17 with qualifiers included (W8 D9).
- Kept three clean sheets in their last four games in all competitions.
- Scored 38 goals in their last eight games in all competitions.
- Scored the first goal in seven of their last eight games in all competitions.
Team News
Liverpool: Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez, Trent Alexander-Arnold, James Milner, Alex Oxlade Chamberlain, Thiago Alcantara, Nathaniel Phillips, & Xherdan Shaqiri (out); Naby Keita (doubt).
Ajax: Mohammed Kudus (out).
Predicted Line-ups
(Note: The image will change to the official XI once they’re both announced)
Top Goalscorers in Recent Games
Head-To-Head Record
Below are some head-to-head stats on each team’s recent form in the Champions League.
Match Facts
Betting Tips
More Odds
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