Ajax take on the visitors Besiktas in the first leg 1/8-finals of UEFA Europa League qualification. The match will be played on Thursday, September 26th at Johan Cruijff Arena (Amsterdam).
A year ago, Ajax shocked their fans. The club, which had been declining since Ten Hag's departure as head coach, ended 2023 with a string of failures and setbacks, setting several unwanted records in the process. However, they managed to finish 5th in the Eredivisie, securing a spot in the Europa League qualification. Over the summer, Ajax took a different approach: they brought in young coach Francesco Farioli, who had guided Nice into European competitions last season. In terms of players, they focused on signing experienced veterans like Bertrand Traore, Wout Weghorst, Klaassen, and Rugani. Most of these arrivals came after the qualification rounds, where the only challenge was Panathinaikos. After both sides exchanged 1-0 away wins, Ajax had to go through an unusually long penalty shootout. However, they had no trouble dispatching Vojvodina and Jagiellonia in the earlier and later rounds, respectively.
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Beşiktaş are mostly pleasing their fans this season. The "Eagles" endured a disastrous season after a disappointing campaign the year before. This led to some controversial contract terminations, mainly involving foreign players, and several coaching changes that didn’t help much. However, they managed to salvage something by winning the Turkish Cup. Over the summer, Giovanni van Bronckhorst was appointed head coach, and the club made several strong signings during the transfer window, including Ciro Immobile. The Italian striker started scoring right away, netting goals in the Turkish Super Cup clash against Galatasaray, where Beşiktaş crushed the reigning champions 5-0. They later comfortably defeated Lugano 5-1 after a 3-3 draw in Europa League qualification, and have started the Turkish league season confidently as well.
In 2021, these teams met in the Champions League, where Ajax won both matches. Ajax is considered the favorite, but they have been inconsistent. Van Bronckhorst, for whom this trip to Amsterdam is personally significant, has prepared his team well. The best bet here is on "over 2.5 total goals."
Prediction for the match: Over 2.5 scored goals.
