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On Saturday, Ajax, one of the biggest underachievers in European football, will host Vitesse in the Dutch capital for an Eredivisie match.
Despite starting the weekend at the bottom of the standings, the visitors may feel confident in their ability to overcome a weak Ajax team that had two bad games prior to the international break.
Ajax had appeared to be turning the corner, but now they are back on the wrong track after a string of unsatisfactory performances.
They moved up from the bottom to mid-table with easy home victories over Volendam and Heerenveen in John van’t Schip’s first two games in charge.
But they suffered a devastating loss to Brighton & Hove Albion at home in Europe, and if they lose in Marseille this midweek, they might be knocked out of continental football completely.
In their final league match before the break, Ajax drew 2-2 with Eredivisie rookies Almere City in a crazy match that left them stunned.
Ajax lost two points in injury time after rallying from a goal behind in the last minutes to lead 2-1. Thomas Robinet’s penalty came in injury time.
Even though their one loss in four games is not nearly as awful as their previous 10-game winless streak, a fight for Champions League spots seems unlikely at this early point.
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An interesting statistic is that Ajax would still finish with less points than Feyenoord did last season, even if they won all 23 games still to play.
Due to their incredible start, PSV Eindhoven leads their typical title contenders by an astounding 24 points going into matchday 13.
Vitesse’s awful start has led to the resignation of manager Phillip Cocu just before the international break following a 3-1 home loss to Heerenveen. Edward Sturing will take over as interim manager for the time being.
They fell to the bottom of the standings after an ugly 5-1 loss to Go Ahead Eagles, and they were unable to get back up before the half against Heerenveen.
Vitesse has conceded nine goals in their past two away games, although they have only won twice this season—against Volendam and NEC Nijmegen.
Despite a dismal start to the season with eight losses from 12 league games, Arnhem is still only one point from safety as several teams are suffering near the bottom.
Ajax Eredivisie form:
L L L W W D
Ajax form (all competitions):
L L W W L D
Vitesse Eredivisie form:
W D L D L L
It’s uncertain if the Ajax winger will be available here because Steven Bergwijn was forced to withdraw from the Netherlands team last week due to an injury.
Due to illness, striker Brian Brobbey is also doubtful; therefore, Chuba Akpom and Benjamin Tahirovic may start, particularly given that both players scored goals against Almere off the bench.
In his last three domestic games, Akpom has netted four goals in just 54 minutes of play—all while serving as a substitute.
In addition to the announced absence of Branco van den Boomen, the hosts will be without their two primary goalkeepers, Jay Gorter and Geronimo Rulli.
Third choice, then. Diant Ramaj will once again start in goal, as he has for the last six games.
Due to his consecutive red card against Heerenveen, Marco van Ginkel will miss this trip because of his suspension.
This may pave the way for Davy Propper, a fellow former Premier League midfielder who was sidelined for much of the same match after suffering a serious injury, to make a comeback.
The Vitesse team is plagued by knee difficulties; Miliano Jonathans, Mica Pinto, Thomas Buitink, and Fode Fofana are all now out with corresponding issues.
Ajax possible starting lineup:
Ramaj; Rensch, Sutalo, Hato, Sosa; Hlynsson, Taylor; Berghuis, Mikautadze, Tahirovic; Akpom
Vitesse possible starting lineup:
Room; Arcus, Oroz, Isimat-Mirin, Hendriks, Cornelisse; Tielemans, Meulensteen, Propper, Kozlowski; Manhoef
