Aiming to add a 2024-25 triumph to their illustrious European history, Ajax will start their Europa League campaign with the visit of Turkish giants Besiktas to Johan Cruijff Arena on Thursday night.
De Godenzonen are coming into this clash following a lacklustre draw in the Eredivisie on the weekend, whilst the Black Eagles enjoyed a dramatic victory in the Turkish Super Lig.
Match preview
Despite their lowest league finish since the turn of the century last campaign, a fifth-placed standing for Ajax in the Eredivisie was still good enough to earn a spot in the qualification rounds of the Europa League, with the Dutch powerhouses working overtime in the summer to book their place in the League Phase of the competition.
Serbian minnows Vojvodina were the opponents and victims in the second round of qualifying, before De Godenzonen navigated further two-legged affairs against Greek giants Panathinaikos and Polish outfit Jagiellonia Bialystok to reach the revamped 36-team phase of UEFA's second-tier club competition.
Since returning to action following the September international break, Ajax have collected a respectable total of four points from a pair of Eredivisie contests, smashing Fortuna Sittard 5-0 in Amsterdam before sharing the spoils with Go Ahead Eagles on Saturday afternoon.
Netting 22 goals across all competitions for De Godenzonen last season, including three strikes in the Europa League, Brian Brobbey is enduring a slow start to the 2024-25 schedule, with the four-time Netherlands international managing just one goal across seven appearances.
With influential attacker Steven Bergwijn and Carlos Forbs leaving the club over the summer, Ajax needed to acquire reinforcements on the flanks during the transfer window, with former Aston Villa forward Bertrand Traore joining on a two-year deal following his exit from Villarreal.
Winning the Champions League as part of a memorable Barcelona squad in 2005, Besiktas head coach Giovanni van Bronckhorst is now looking to add continental silverware to his managerial CV, with the 49-year-old losing the Europa League final in 2022 as Rangers boss to Eintracht Frankfurt.
A sixth-placed finish in the 2023-24 Turkish Super Lig did not yield a European berth, but the Black Eagles managed to lift their 11th Turkish Cup last term, meaning that they qualified for the playoff round of the Europa League, in which they bested Swiss outfit Lugano over two legs.
Ending his eight-year association with Italian challengers Lazio over the summer, Ciro Immobile was the standout arrival for Besiktas over the course of the summer, with the 34-year-old netting four times in eight Champions League matches during the 2023-24 campaign.
Commencing their competitive schedule this season with a five-goal thrashing of league leaders Galatasaray in the Turkish Super Cup, the Black Eagles have enjoyed an eight-game unbeaten streak across all competitions, although Thursday's trip to Amsterdam is set to pose a serious threat to that impeccable start.
Besiktas have struggled against De Godenzonen in recent times, with the Black Eagles losing both of their matches versus Thursday's hosts during the 2021-22 Champions League, a competition in which the Dutch side won all six of their group matches in a section also containing Sporting Lisbon and Borussia Dortmund.
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Team News
Picking up Ajax's playmaker award last season, Steven Berghuis is set to be a major absentee for the hosts on Thursday as he continues to recover from an injury picked up in August.
De Godenzonen are also unable to call upon the talents of Sivert Mannsverk, with the 22-year-old out until next month due to an ankle issue.
Ajax are short of backup options in defence due to the knee injury of centre-back Gaston Avila, who is yet to feature in a competitive match this campaign.
Besiktas are also restricted at the back ahead of Thursday's clash, with defender Necip Uysal sidelined until the middle of November because of a ligament injury.
Both providing goal contributions in the win over Eyupspor on the weekend, Joao Mario and Milot Rashica should retain their spots on the flanks.
Ajax possible starting lineup:
Pasveer; Rensch, Sutalo, Kaplan, Hato; Klaassen, Henderson, Taylor; Traore, Brobbey, Weghorst
Besiktas possible starting lineup:
Gunok; Svensson, Paulista, Uduokhai, Masuaku; Fernandes, Al Musrati; Mario, Silva, Rashica; Immobile
We say: Ajax 2-2 Besiktas
Ajax have won back-to-back home matches by an aggregate scoreline of 8-0 recently, although the visit of Besiktas should pose a much sterner test for the Dutch giants on Thursday.
The Black Eagles are unbeaten this season, and we expect that run to extend to nine matches in Amsterdam, but it is likely that they will have to settle for a point.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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