Ajax have already qualified from Group C of the UEFA Champions League and are looking to maintain their momentum ahead of the knockout stage. They travel to Besiktas on Wednesday with the Turkish side looking out of sorts in recent times.
It has been a poor campaign for Besiktas so far and things appear to be going from bad to worse. They are currently ninth in the Turkish Super Lig and are bottom of Group C in the Champions League.
Besiktas head into Wednesday’s clash off the back of four defeats from their last five matches across all competitions. Sergen Yalcin’ men were beaten 2-0 by Alanyaspor in a Super Lig fixture on Saturday.
Things are just as bad for Besiktas in the Champions League as they have lost all four of their matches in Group C. They were beaten 4-0 by Sporting Lisbon in their previous fixture and qualifying for even the Europa League seems a tall order at the moment.
In contrast to Besiktas’ struggles this season, Ajax are having a swell time at the moment. They are through to the knockout stage of the Champions League with games to spare and sit top of the Eredivisie.
Manager Erik Ten Hag has been strongly linked with the vacant Manchester United job but continues to insist his focus is solely on Ajax, who have a 100% record in the Champions League. The Dutch champions have claimed some impressive victories in the competition, including a 5-1 triumph over Sporting Lisbon while they also eased past Dortmund 3-1 in their previous fixture.
Ajax are looking almost unstoppable at the moment and travel to Besiktas unbeaten in their last seven matches across all competitions. They eased to a 5-0 victory over RKC Waalwijk in the Eredivisie on Sunday with Sebastian Haller and Steven Berghuis each netting a brace.
How the bookies view it
Ajax have been installed as overwhelming favourites among the bookies and are priced at 1/2 by novibet to claim the win. A victory for Besiktas is valued at 13/2 by betfair while betway is offering odds of 15/4 for a draw.
Head to head
Ajax claimed a 3-1 victory in the reverse fixture back in September with Steven Berghuis and Sebastian Haller getting the goals.
Players to watch
Guven Yalcin and Cyle Larin often feature in attack for Besiktas and have scored three goals each in their last five home matches. Yalcin is priced at 11/4 by bet365 to score anytime while betway is offering 14/5 on Larin in the same market.
Ajax striker Sebastian Haller has seven goals in four Champions League matches this season and is priced at 21/20 by BetVictor to score anytime. Steven Berghuis has also found the net three times in his last four appearances for Ajax and could be backed in the same market at 19/10 with Sport Nation.
Anything else catch the eye?
Ajax have breezed through their four matches in the Champions League and could be set for another comfortable victory. A -1 handicap for the Dutch champions can be considered at 13/10 with novibet.
There have been over 3.5 goals in three of Ajax’s four Champions League fixtures and a repeat is priced at 11/8 with BetVictor. The Dutch champions can also be tipped to score in both halves at evens with BoyleSports.
This UEFA Champions League match between Besiktas and Ajax will be played on and kick off at 17:45. Check below for our tipsters best Besiktas vs Ajax prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
GambleAware