Ajax-Rangers is a match valid for the first day of the group stage of the Champions League and is played on Wednesday at 18:45
Were it not for the presence of reigning European vice-champions Liverpool, at least two notches above Ajax, Napoli and Rangers, on paper Group A of the Champions League 2022-23 gives the idea of being one of the most balanced. With the exception of the Reds, who are favourites for first place, the fight for second place could remain open until the last day and offer twists and turns. This is why Luciano Spalletti’s Azzurri, engaged a few hours later at the ‘Maradona’ stadium against Salah and his teammates, will look with the utmost attention to the challenge in Amsterdam. A match, that of the ‘Cruijff Arena’, already potentially crucial to delineate the hierarchies within the grouping.
Ajax, who last year proved to be a real powerhouse in the group stage, but were then eliminated by Benfica in the round of 16. The ten Hag era, meanwhile, seems to be over. Under new coach Alfred Schreuder, the former Club Brugge man, the Lancers are proving to be the usual goal-scoring machine in the Eredivisie: five wins out of five, first place on their own but, above all, 16 goals scored in just six matches. Whoever thought that after the summer changes the red and whites needed a period of adjustment was very wrong. The only ‘blemish’ of this new season remains the heavy Super Cup defeat against Psv Eindhoven.
The Scots, on the other hand, re-entered the most important continental event after twelve years (and one painful failure). They qualified through two complicated preliminaries, in which they eliminated the Belgians of Saint-Gilloise and, coincidentally, another Dutch team, Psv: 2-2 at Ibrox and 0-1 in Holland with Czech striker Colak, arrived in the summer from Paok, the absolute protagonist. At the weekend, however, the men coached by Giovanni van Bronckhorst suffered their first defeat in the Premiership. And what a defeat it was: a scorching 4-0 defeat at home to arch-rivals Celtic, an unexpected debacle that could have repercussions on Tavernier and his team-mates’ Champions League debut.
Gio van Bronckhorst
The Prediction
It remains to be seen whether the ugly defeat suffered on Saturday against Celtic was an isolated incident or whether it is a ‘tell-tale’ that should in some way alarm van Bronckhorst. The fact is that Rangers, in our opinion, have very little chance of leaving the Amsterdam Arena with a positive result. The Scots tend to be less solid and aggressive away than in their home matches. Not to mention that Ajax seem to have something more in the way of quality. A likely victory for the Lancers, then, in a high tempo match that should provide goals and entertainment.
Ajax-Rangers matchday squad
- AJAX (4-3-3): Pasveer; Rensch, Timber, Bassey, Blind; Klaassen, Álvarez, Berghuis; Tadić, Brobbey, Bergwijn.
- RANGERS (4-2-3-1): McGregor; Tavernier, Goldson, Sands, Barišić; Davis, Lundstram; Tillman, Kamara, Kent; Čolak.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 2-1