Champions League Predictions: Ajax vs Liverpool

Ajax will take on Liverpool on Wednesday in a do-or-die affair.

The Eredivisie giants are third in the Champions League Group A with only three points to their name after four rounds of matches.

Anything but a win will ensure the end of Ajax’s 22/23 Champions League mission. 

Liverpool will only need to avoid defeat at the Johan Cruyff Arena to book their place in the knockout stages.

However, the Reds will feel the urge to win so that they remain in the equation to win the group beating current leaders Napoli. 

Ajax started their Champions League journey with an emphatic win over Rangers. But three successive defeats have now pushed them to the brink of elimination. 

To qualify for the knockout stages, Ajax will have to win their remaining fixtures and hope Liverpool lose to Napoli in their final group match.

The odds are heavily stacked against Alfred Schreuder’s side, but they should not be written off just yet. 

Ajax have been in resurgent form at Eredivisie after losing five points in two matches before and right after the international break.

The five time European champions have collected 15 points out of the possible 15 from their last five games in the division. 

Liverpool have been in a rollercoaster ride this season. There have been highs of beating Manchester City at home, but on Saturday they stooped to the low of losing to strugglers Nottingham Forest. 

Liverpool’s defensive numbers can be encouraging for Ajax as the Merseyside outfit are regularly conceding high quality chances. If Ajax can utilise their chances, they can make the Premier League side suffer. 

Having fallen 12 points behind Premier League toppers Arsenal, Jurgen Klopp might emphasise on their European campaign. So, they will be eyeing a win against Ajax and try to snatch the top spot of the group from Napoli. 

Team News

Devyne Rensch, Ahmetcan Kaplan, and Mohamed Ihattaren will not make Ajax’s matchday squad in the Liverpool clash as they are all out injured.

Kenneth Taylor has a muscular problem, but he might recover in time for the match. 

Ajax will enter the fray on the back of a 4-1 away win at RKC Waalwijk.

Brian Brobbey bagged a brace in that game, but the Dutch forward is likely going to sit on the bench as Mohamed Kudus gets the nod to lead the line.

Kudus had scored against Liverpool in the reverse fixture and will hope to find the target again in front of his home crowd. 

Injury problems have been piling up for Liverpool.

Diogo Jota, Luis Diaz, and Joel Matip will be mere spectators. However, Klopp might get to welcome back Darwin Nunez, Thiago Alcantara, and Ibrahima Konate to the squad. 

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita are fit, but they will have to wait till the knockout stages to taste Champions League action. Both players recovered from their injuries earlier than expected. So, Liverpool did not include them in their first Champions League squad. 

Who will win

We expect another entertaining match between two sides who love to play attacking football. Ajax will go for an all-out attacking approach, which might leave them vulnerable to counters in transitional phases. So, we are expecting a 3-2 win for Liverpool.