Prediction: Draw
Best Odds: 10/3
Bookmaker: bet365
The Premier League is great, La Liga is great, Bundesliga is great and so on and so forth. However, domestic football really doesn’t compare to the quality and thrill of Champions League football. The very best of the best compete in this competition on a year to year basis, and we always seem to get some pretty incredible encounters as a result. This week will probably be no different, with one of the most intriguing games taking place in Spain as Real Madrid attempt to keep their first leg lead intact against Ajax.
Real Madrid
Despite having a poor first half of the season, it still feels like there’s a good chance Real could come away with a positive or two from the campaign. They’ve been well and truly put in their place recently by bitter rivals Barcelona, but they’ve still got the Champions League to think about. It’s been their competition over the course of the last few years, and there’s no real way of denying that. If they can get through a tricky, tricky test in the form of Ajax, then they can start dreaming once again.
Team News
Bale looks set to return to the bench after struggling against Barcelona, with Vazquez being tipped to feature.
Ajax
Despite being set to lose some of their top stars over the course of the next few months, the Dutch giants Ajax should still feel pretty confident about their future. They’ve got a great infrastructure, loyal fans, and the fact they’ve been able to reach the knockout stages of the Champions League is a great sign. They’ll have to score at least twice in order to qualify so they’ve certainly got a task on their hands, but the first leg should’ve given them plenty of confidence that they can cause the upset.
Team News
Blind will likely partner de Ligt at the back, with Dusan Tadic being tipped to start up top whilst Huntelaar stays on the bench.
Factors to Consider
- The game will be played at Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu.
- Real Madrid have won three and lost three of their last six games.
- Ajax have won three and lost three of their last six games.
- Real Madrid have scored eight goals and conceded nine in their last six games.
- Ajax have scored 19 goals and conceded 10 in their last six games.
Conclusion
It feels like Real’s main priority is hanging onto their Champions League title for a fourth successive year, and it doesn’t seem as if Ajax are going to have what it takes to end their campaign at this early knockout stage. With that being said we think they’re going to make a good go of it, which will lead to some entertaining goals throughout the course of this second leg tie. We think that the final result on the night will be a draw, with the Dutch side being just one goal shy of knocking out the reigning European champions.
Prediction: Draw
Best Odds: 10/3
Bookmaker: bet365
- Soccer News Like
- Be the first of your friends!
