Ten Hag unsure whether to risk Ajax stars against Bayern

Erik ten Hag indicated he may rest Ajax stars for their last Champions League group game against Bayern Munich even though top spot in Group E is at stake.

Kasper Dolberg, Hakim Ziyech and Donny van de Beek are among the players carrying injuries with Ajax needing to beat the Bundesliga champions in Amsterdam to finish first.

With a place in the knockout rounds already guaranteed for the Eredivisie side, Ten Hag is unsure whether or not players including Ziyech will be risked against Bayern.

“I think you always come across something. Fortunately, we have a large squad, which enables us to take care of injuries,” he told reporters on Tuesday.

“Last weekend [at PEC Zwolle] we played on artificial grass, or an ice rink if you like. At the highest level, these kinds of fields do not belong, unfortunately this is the case in the Netherlands.

“We hope that we have everyone on board to take the fight, but we have to wait for the last training sessions, we have no certainty.

“The first place in the group is important. You can create a better starting position in this. But we also have to deal with a competition.

“We have to make a good assessment. We cannot exclude anything.”

#TalentTuesday @ChampionsLeague 

It’s time for the last games in the groupstage! #UCL #ABNAMRO pic.twitter.com/76mgA14mFk

— AFC Ajax (@AFCAjax) December 11, 2018

Ajax lost goalkeeper Andre Onana to injury in the first half of their Eredivisie win at Zwolle on Saturday.

The 22-year-old, though, expects to recover from a hamstring problem in time to face Bayern.

“I think I’m ready to play,” he told a news conference. “I’ll probably be there, but I’m going to train first.”

Ajax are widely expected to lose star midfielder Frenkie De Jong, who has been linked with Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona, either in January or at the end of the season.

Teenage defender Matthijs de Ligt has also been linked with leaving Ajax but Onana is unconcerned about the prospect of the club being without two of Europe’s brightest young talents.

“Of course we want to do something big for the club,” Onana added. “There are a lot of rumours about some players, but in the end we are Ajax players and we want to win everything.”