Ajax welcome the visitors Juventus in the Champions League Playoffs – Quarterfinals. The match will be held on Wednesday, April, 10th, at the Johan Cruijff Arena (Amsterdam).
Though last winter Ajax lost Frenkie de Jong, who left for Barcelona for €75 million, they managed to progress to the 1/8 Champions League finals. When they signed the 21-year-old de Jong, Barca, in fact, made Real’s life easier – they competed with Ajax for the quarterfinals. In the 1st leg, Ajax conceded at home, 1:2. Despite they looked better than the opponents, they had little chances ahead of the outing. Nonetheless, Madrid saw a real sensation – the Dutch outfit won by a 4:1 scoreline. Down the line, Santiago Solari was dismissed from the post of Real’s manager. Apart from the loss of the leader, Ajax’s squad is fine, all players are on and boast a blistering form. The team’s international successes increased their performers’ prices by several times. Once the season is over, a few more talented footballers will probably leave Amsterdam. Tellingly, Ajax always was a major springboard for players looking to join top-clubs. Most likely, Nicolas Tagliafico will leave this summer – Ajax bought him for frugal €4 million from Argentina. Now his price has seriously increased, and Real, Bayern Munich, and Tottenham Hotspur hunt for him. As for Ajax’s domestic performance, they won’t go down below the 2nd place yet, so, they will compete in the Champions League next season either. There is a chance to fight with PSV Eindhoven for the 1st tier, as Ajax run only 5 points off them. The Amsterdam team are incredibly effective in the national league – they made 88 goals in 26 matches.
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Juventus have undergone significant changes since summer. Notably, the developments were not solely attributed to Cristiano Ronaldo, who joined the club, but to Juve’s nature itself. When the Turin outfit were headed by the two directors Fabio Paratici and Giuseppe Marotta, they ended unbeaten winners in the Serie A for 7 years. The club were always rational, and Antonio Conte managed to win the scudetto even without strikers. Not only Juventus’ play broke new ground, the club’s revenues soared, as they regularly earn from selling players. The flexible minded Massimiliano Allegri turned an ideal manager. Whoever Juventus sold, no matter how they had to rearrange the game, Allegri always kept Juventus’ level on the top. When Ronaldo joined the team, the manager spent around 3 months to change Juventus’ style and ensure they are well-knit. Mario Mandzukic, Federico Bernardeschi, and Paulo Dybala perfectly cooperated with Cristiano; though Juventus did not entertain much, they always ended victors. The team’s first serious opponents this campaign were Atletico Madrid, who won in the 1st tight leg at home, 2:0. In the reverse leg though, the ‘Mattress Makers’ looked horrible – they hardly attacked, and Juventus featured a comeback, 3:0. After this win, Allegri will be less criticized for sure, and it is actually unclear why the club’s management is unhappy about him.
The history of the heavyweights’ meetings counts 12 matches wherein Ajax were winners twice, and Juventus were 6 times. 4 clashes did not define the victors. The sides’ last encounter was held in terms of the Europa League 1/16 finals. Ajax lost at home, 1:2, and Turin saw no goals then. Ajax succeeded to pass Ronaldo’s former club, now they look to make another sensation, winning his present club. The ‘Old Lady’ do not play any entertaining football, they act rationally but are not great in the possession play, therefore, their coming trip to Amsterdam will be challenging.
Prediction for the match: Ajax to win or Draw.
