Ajax will be looking to claim the first leg advantage when they host Union Berlin in the UEFA Europa League knockout playoffs. Both teams have been in good form in the build up to Thursday’s clash and given the attacking quality on display, goals should be expected here.
Ajax are seeking redemption in the Europa League after a disappointing Champions League campaign. They claimed two wins and suffered four defeats in six group stage matches to drop into Europe’s second tier competition.
It has not been a particularly smooth campaign for Ajax with their poor Champions League showing a symptom of the uncertainty under former manager Alfred Schreuder. Johnny Heitinga is the new man at the helm and appears to have steadied things at the Johan Cruyff Arena.
Ajax are in the middle of a resurgence and head into Thursday’s clash off the back of four straight wins across all competitions. They warmed up for the visit of Union Berlin with a 3-1 Eredivisie victory over RKC Waalwijk last Sunday.
Union Berlin have been on the rise in recent weeks and should be particularly pleased with their campaign so far this season. They are currently second in the Bundesliga and are into the knockout stage of the Europa League.
The German side are into the knockout phase of the Europa League after finishing second in Group D. They began with two straight defeats and eventually picked up their form and finished with four straight wins.
Union Berlin will travel to Amsterdam with plenty of confidence having won their last 12 matches across all competitions. Urs Fischer’s men have also won their last three away matches and picked up a 2-1 Bundesliga victory at RB Leipzig last Saturday.
How the bookies view it
Ajax have the upper hand among the bookies and are priced at 28/29 by SBK to claim the win. A victory for Union Berlin is valued at 3/1 by Unibet while a draw is set at odds of 13/5 by William Hill.
Head to head
Both teams played out a 2-2 draw in a club friendly back in 2020.
Players to watch
Although Ajax were disappointing during the group stage of the Champions League, Mohammed Kudus stood out with four goals in six matches. The attacker has also found the net in four of his last five matches and is priced at 21/10 by bet365 to maintain his scoring run.
Kevin Behrens has been the man in form in recent weeks, scoring three goals in his last five matches across all competitions. The forward will be the one to watch on Thursday and is priced at 9/4 with bet365 to find the net.
Anything else catch the eye?
There is plenty of attacking quality on both sides and with their only previous meeting producing over 3.5 goals, a repeat could be on the cards at 13/5 with BetVictor. Over 2.5 goals can also be considered at 10/11 with bet365.
There were second half goals for both teams in their last meeting and Thursday’s clash could be tipped to follow a similar pattern at 12/5 with William Hill.
This UEFA Europa League match between Ajax and Union Berlin will be played on Feb 16, 2023 and kick off at 17:45. Check below for our tipsters best Ajax vs Union Berlin prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
