Ajax begin their quest for greatness against Champions League runners-up Inter Milan, who are going through a mini-crisis at the start of the new campaign.
The Sons of the Gods are unbeaten in the Dutch Eredivisie after the first five rounds, but haven’t exactly impressed with clean football and dominance. Away games have been a struggle, but we will talk about that next week. What matters is that Ajax are unbeaten at home and have conceded one goal in three matches. But they also haven’t faced a team like Inter, so this fixture will reveal their true capabilities.
While Inter Milan would probably prefer to forget last season’s final, it is a fact they are the runners-up in the Champions League and people have high expectations. But the Nerazzurri began the new campaign with two defeats in three Serie A rounds, most recently dropping a 2-3 lead away at Juventus, ultimately losing 4-3. This defeat and the previous one to Udinese exposed Inter’s defensive struggles, although they remain a goal-scoring machine.
How the bookies view it: Ajax are underdogs at home
While there is no doubt that Inter Milan have the stronger squad and have achieved much more on the international stage in recent years, the odds caught us off guard. We didn’t expect such an overwhelming advantage for the Nerazzurri, as you can back them at just 4/5. For comparison, Ajax are available at 31/10, while the draw has been priced at 14/5.
Recent head-to-head: No recent H2Hs but a wealth of history between them
Ajax and Inter used to meet quite often in the early 2000s but have not played against each other since 2008, when the Nerazzurri won 1-0 away. We should mention their first official meeting in 1972 in the final of the European Cup, which Ajax won 2-0. With nothing to report from more recent times, we can provide a different type of data. For instance, the Dutch side hasn’t won any of its last 19 home games against Italian teams and Inter haven’t lost to a Dutch team in 13 consecutive matches.
Players to watch: Martinez always turns up for the Champions League
Marcus Thuram has hit the headlines after every one of Inter’s three games this season, scoring three goals and assisting one. He’s been an absolute monster in the final third and is always a valid pick, but we also have to mention Lautaro Martinez before we make a decision. The Argentinian is having a slower start with only two goal contributions but we all know his abilities and especially in the Champions League. He scored nine goals last term and was one of the main reasons behind Inter’s success en route to the final.
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Probable line-ups
Ajax: Jaros, Wijndal, Baas, Itakura, Gaaei, Klaassen, Taylor, Regeer, Werghorst, Berghuis, Godts
Inter Milan: Sommer, Akanji, Bastoni, Acerbi, Dimarco, Sucic, Calhanoglu, Barella, Dumfries, Martinez, Thuram
Anything else catch the eye?
Inter Milan were exceptional last season, losing just one of their 14 fixtures before reaching the final. And in eight of them, they kept a clean sheet. But this is a new season and Inter’s defence no longer looks watertight. Ajax have struggled against Italian sides in recent years but have enough firepower to cause Inter problems.
All in all, we expect goals on both ends and an extremely tight match. This could easily turn into a goal fiesta, so you can back both the BTTS and Over 2.5 goals markets. But in the end, we expect Ajax and Inter to split the spoils, ending level in Amsterdam.
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