Two of the more illustrious names in football go toe-to-toe this week, with four-time European champions Ajax entertaining a Marseille side who ruled the continent in 1993.
Having fallen on harder times since, these two meet in the secondary competition of European football and their Europa League tie may not go down as a classic, with both sides struggling for form and confidence ahead of their Amsterdam Arena showdown.
Team news
Ajax goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli looks set to miss out through injury and he could be joined on the sidelines by defender Ahmetcan Kaplan. Brian Brobbey has bagged three goals for the Dutch side this season and is likely to keep his place in attack.
Ismaila Sarr is out for Marseille and there are injury doubts over OM defender Leonardo Balerdi.
Marseille – Draw No Bet @ 10/11
Marseille have been dumped into the Europa League after making a mess of Champions League qualifying this summer and they have struggled to recover in the opening weeks of their league campaign.
The French side were knocked out of the elite competition following a penalty shootout loss to Panathinaikos in the final qualifying round, and OM have drawn three and won one of their following four Ligue 1 matches, and they may have to settle for a draw in Amsterdam on Thursday.
However, keeping an away win on side might be the best course of action as Ajax’s form has tailed off in recent weeks.
The Dutch giants are winless in three, a run stretching almost a month, and they have scored just once in that trio of fixtures. Their last outing on home soil finished in 1-0 loss to Bulgarian minnows Ludogorets, so there is little rush to back Ajax in any form this week, and goals could be at a premium too.
Both Teams To Score – No @ 11/8
Only four goals have been scored in as many matches for Marseille, and their last outing ended in 0-0 stalemate with Toulouse – so both teams failing to get on the scoresheet at the Amsterdam Arena looks a lively runner.
Ajax are a shadow of the side who reached the Champions League semi-finals in 2019 and that has shown in recent times as last season’s title defence ended with a third-place whimper, and things have gone from bad to worse this season with the Dutch giants down in 12th place in the Eredivisie after four matches.
Confidence is at rock-bottom and a 3-1 defeat at FC Twente last time out didn’t help their frame of mind ahead of this contest.
A low-scoring encounter looks likely.
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