Utrecht will go head-to-head against the reigning champions Ajax in the Eredivisie 2024-23 on Sunday, August 28, 2024. The match will be played at the Stadion Galgenwaard Stadium, the home ground for Utrecht.
So, what will be the team lineups for the teams ? And which players will have to miss out on the game? Keep reading the article to check out the game preview, prediction, team news, previous records, and more details!
Utrecht vs Ajax Preview
The hosts, “Utrecht”, have encountered a winless start to their league campaign, as they faced back-to-back draws in their first two matches. In the third encounter they played last week, they took the lead twice, but Emmen fought back pretty well both times to secure a 3-2 win.
On the other hand, the visitors, “Ajax,” maintained their 100% record in league with a 1-0 win against Sparta Rotterdam, with the 37th goal by Steven Bergwijn, which turned out to be the difference.
What is the Eredivisie?
The Eredivisie, which means “Honour Division” or “Premier Division”, is considered the highest professional football level in the Netherlands. The football league was founded in 1956, just two years after the commencement of professional football in the country.
As of the 2020-21 season, Eredivisie was ranked the seventh-best European league by UEFA (The Union of European Football Associations). This professional league consists of 18 clubs. Each club plays against every other club twice during the season, once at home and once away.
After every season, the bottom two clubs are relegated to the second level of the Dutch league system, the Eerste Divisie (First Division). At the same time, the champion and runner-up of the Eerste Divisie are promoted automatically to the Eredivisie.
The club finishing third from the bottom of the Eredivisie goes to separate promotion play-offs with six high-placed clubs from the Eerste Divisie. Currently, Ajax is the most successful team in this league, as the team has won the Eredivisie title 36 times, which is the maximum among all participants.
“Utrecht vs. Ajax” Head-to-Head Records:
Both these teams have competed against each other 139 times across competitions. As expected, the defending champion, Ajax, has dominated the proceedings by leading the wins 86-26, while 27 games have ended in draws.
Ajax, the most successful team in the Eredivisie, defeated “Utrecht” 3-0 in their last meeting at the Stadion Galgenwaard in January. They’re also on a three-game (away) winning streak against Domstedelingen.
Team News: Utrecht vs Ajax
Utrecht
The home team has a lengthy list of absentees as players like Bart Ramselaar, Ramon Hendriks, Mike van der Hoorn, Tommy St Jago, and Sander van de Streek are sidelined due to injuries.
Mark van der Maarel was not available for the previous encounter due to personal reasons, but he is expected to be available for the game against the league table leader. However, Fabian de Keijzer’s involvement is still doubtful, as he is still not fully fit.
Injured: Tommy St. Jago, Mike van der Hoorn, Ramon Hendriks, Sander van de Streek, Bart Ramselaar
Doubtful: Fabian de Keijzer
Unavailable: None
Suspended: None
Ajax
For the defending champions, both Francisco Conceicao and Antony missed the previous encounter due to undisclosed reasons, thus their involvement in the game remains doubtful. Meanwhile, Mohamed Ihattaren is not available for selection due to an injury.
Injured: Mohamed Ihattaren
Doubtful: Antony, Francisco Conceicao
Unavailable: None
Suspended: None
Predicted XIs : Utrecht vs Ajax
Utrecht (3-4-2-1):
Vasilis Barkas; Djevencio Van Der Kust, Ruben Kluivert, Nick Viergever; Taylor Booth, Othman Boussaid, Can Bozdogan, Hidde ter Avest; Anastasios Douvikas, Daishawn Redan; Bas Dost
Ajax (4-3-3):
Remko Pasveer; Daley Blind, Calvin Bassey, Jurrien Timber, Devyne Rensch; Mohammed Kudus, Steven Berghuis, Davy Klaassen; Steven Bergwijn, Dusan Tadic, Steven Berghuis
Prediction: Utrecht vs Ajax
The defending champions, Ajax, have been in solid form this season and, looking at their records at Stadion Galgenwaard Stadium, they will be the favourites to win. Meanwhile, Utrecht are also dealing with a lot of injuries, which has also impacted their recent performances in the league. Considering the same factors, an easy win for Ajax seems to be on the cards for Sunday’s encounter.
Prediction: Ajax wins the match 0-2!
So, how excited are you for the “Utrecht vs Ajax” match today? Do you think the underdogs “Utrecht” can come on top or will the favourites “Ajax” eventually show why they are the defending champions ? We’ll find out this only after the match. Which team are you supporting and what are your predictions for the match ? Let us know in the comments section below!
