Ajax is hosting Inter in their match for the 1st round of the Champions League’s League Phase. The match is played at the Johan Cruijff Arena, home of Ajax.
Facts
Just one win for Ajax, one draw, and three Inter wins in their previous European clashes.
- Balanced on Dutch soil (1-1-1).
- Ajax has never defeated Inter in the Champions League.
- Inter is unbeaten in their last 12 against Dutch teams in the competition, winning nine and drawing three matches.
- Ajax has won just three of their last 25 matches with Italian teams in the Champions League (3-9-13 record).
- Their last two duels in Amsterdam ended with BTTS + over 2.5 goals, as did the last two Ajax European games.
- All of Inter’s last six matches in Europe saw over 2.5 goals.
Betting Tip: Ajax – Inter
Inter is the favourite, and rightfully so, despite several internal problems. The Nerazurri are traditionally very good in the competition, relishing its prestige, while Ajax are a far cry from past glories. The odds for Inter to win are not particularly great, but in this case, they’ll do.
- Prediction: Inter to win
- Odds: 1.73 (at the time of writing)
- Stake: 4
Ajax
Ajax managed to lose the championship last season in a truly catastrophic manner that is unlikely to be washed away anytime soon. Their lead over PSV Eindhoven was nine points with just five games to go, but Ajax managed to somehow drop enough points to allow their rivals to claim the league title.
A truly momentous collapse, and Italian manager Farioli could not and did not survive it. He submitted his resignation in the face of such a breakdown.
His successor is Dutch manager John Heitinga. The team lost Jorrel Hato (left back, Chelsea), Brian Brobbey (centre forward, Sunderland) and Carlos Forbs (Club Bruges), while adding, among others, Oscar Gloukh (attacking midfield, RB Salzburg), Kasper Dolberg (centre forward, Anderlecht), and Raul Moro (winger, Real Valladolid).
Ajax will be in the mix for the league title yet again, though not as the favourite, and they will try their best in the Champions League.
Inter
For much of last season, Inter were in contention for all three major competitions and came close to all three of them. Unfortunately for them, they ran out of gas at the most critical moment and ended up with nothing.
The intensity of consecutive games near the end saw them drop points in the league, allowing Napoli to leapfrog them, while also dropping the cup semi-finals to fierce rivals Inter.
Everyone around the team rallied around the participation in the Champions League final, but that ended in catastrophic fashion. They faced Paris Saint-Germain and lost 5-0, in a result that likely contributed to manager Simone Inzaghi’s resignation, to be replaced by Romanian former Inter player Cristian Chivu.
Lots of problems for Inter in the young season. Chivu was supposed to retain the same formation but with different principles, though observers have identified few (if any) real changes. Despite several transfers, the starting lineup remains similar to last season.
