Ajax welcome Besiktas to the Johan Cruyff Arena for their opening fixture in the UEFA Europa League. The Dutch side have looked solid in recent weeks, particularly at home and should have the upper hand over their Turkish visitors, who have been unconvincing on their recent travels.
It has been a near perfect run in the Europa League for Ajax, who came through the preliminary rounds. They have won six of their last seven matches in the competition and did the double over Jagiellonia Bialystok for a 7-1 aggregate victory.
Beyond the Europa League, Ajax have won three of their last four matches across all competitions. However, Francesco Farioli’s men were held to a 1-1 draw at Go Ahead Eagles in an Eredivisie fixture last weekend.
Besiktas reached the Europa League main competition after overcoming Lugano 8-4 on aggregate in the playoff. They were held 3-3 in the first leg before running out 5-1 winners in the return fixture at home.
While Besiktas are unbeaten in their last five matches, only three of those fixtures have ended in wins. Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s men have played out two draws in that run, with both results coming in their last two away matches.
How the bookies view it: Ajax on top
Ajax have the upper hand among the bookies and are priced at 9/10 by Betfred to claim the win. A victory for Besiktas is valued at 3/1 by Betfred, who is also offering odds of 13/5 for a draw.
Head to head: Perfect Ajax
Ajax did the double over Besiktas in the 2021-22 UEFA Champions League, claiming a 2-0 victory at home before a 2-1 win in the return fixture.
Players to watch: Keep an eye on Akpom
Chuba Akpom has caught the eye for Ajax in recent times, scoring four times in the last four matches. The forward could be worth keeping an eye on to find the net once again at 6/4 with Betfred.
Ciro Immobile is enjoying a fine start to the season for Besiktas and heads into Wednesday’s clash with eight goals in the last eight matches. The Italian forward is priced at 2/1 by Betfred to maintain his scoring run.
Probable line-ups
Akpom did not feature for Ajax last weekend and could be included in the starting line-up on Thursday. Brian Brobbey could also be handed a start after coming off the bench last time out while Ahmetcan Kaplan should feature in defence.
Immobile should continue to lead the line for Besiktas with Joao Mario and Rafa providing support. Fernandes should start in midfield while Gabriel Paulista is set to retain his place in defence.
Ajax: Pasveer, Rensch, Sutalo, Kaplan, Hato, Henderson, Fitz-Jim, Klaasen, Traore, Akpom, Brobbey
Besiktas: Gunok, Uduokhai, Gabriel Paulista, Svensson, Masuaku, Al Musrati, Fernandes, Rashica, Joao Mario, Rafa, Immobile
Anything else catch the eye?
Ajax and Besiktas have plenty of quality in attack and both teams could be backed to score at 8/13 with Betfred. There were over 2.5 goals in Ajax’s previous fixture and a repeat is priced at 8/11 with Betfred, who is offering 7/4 for over 3.5 goals.
There were more goals in Besiktas’ previous fixture and a repeat could be considered at 21/20 with Betfred.
This UEFA Europa League match between Ajax and Besiktas will be played on Sep 26, 2024 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Ajax vs Besiktas prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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