November 10, 2024. 3:30 PM. Enschede. “Grolsch Veste”.
Eredivisie 2024-25. Day 12
Twente (Enschede) vs Ajax (Amsterdam)
Suspensions : None
Injuries: Mes Giehlgers, Sem Stein, Younes Taha – Gaston Avila, Siver Mannsverk, Amourricho van Axel Dongen, Julian Reikhoff
Doubtful: Josip Sutalo (Ajax)
Twente
Under the leadership of Josef Oosting, Twente are struggling to secure their first victory in the ongoing European campaign. They suffered an early elimination in Champions League qualifying against Salzburg (3:3; 1:2) in early August, and in four matches in the Europa League group stage they recorded three draws and one defeat. The Tukkers faced strong opponents – Manchester United away, Fenerbahce and Lazio at home, as well as Nice – but it was no walk in the park. The group stage draw didn’t help their cause either. In England, Twente surprisingly drew 1:1, and after two weeks a similar score was seen against the Turks. They suffered a defeat against the Romans, but were close to victory in France, only drawing 2:2 after squandering a two-goal lead while playing with an advantage.
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Things are slightly better in the Eredivisie, although Twente’s start to the season has also had some hiccups. After a victory at Nijmegen, they dropped points at home to Sparta Rotterdam and Zwolle, and met another setback with a 1:2 defeat at Utrecht, despite an opening goal. After the international break, Twente turned things around slightly with three straight wins, totaling a remarkable goal difference of 8:0, but they met another defeat away, losing 1:2 to Feyenoord. To further compound their woes in the league’s return, Twente surprisingly dropped points in an away game against VV Waalwijk, narrowly avoiding defeat in stoppage time. However, they bounced back with an impressive 5 win :0 at home against Heracles in Enschede and a narrow victory against Willem II, currently occupying 5th place in the Eredivisie table, one point behind Feyenoord, four behind Utrecht and their future rival, and an incredible nine-point gap behind PSV.
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Ajax
Francesco Farioli’s team is currently on a good run, posting two positive series in progress. Their unbeaten streak reached an impressive total of 14 matches, with 12 wins, and a streak of seven consecutive victories. Only two teams have managed to beat the “Jews” this season – Panathinaikos (where the two teams exchanged away victories in the Europa League qualifiers, but Ajax prevailed in the second leg penalty shootout) and the newly promoted Eredivisie, NAC Breda. Two other teams, Go Ahead Eagles and Slavia Prague, managed to get a draw against Ajax on their home field. All the others, including two recognized giants of the Eredivisie, fell to the Amsterdammers.
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Before the international break, Ajax drew in the Czech Republic and a few days later managed a home victory against Groningen (3:1), from which the new positive series began. Following the resumption of the league, the “White-Reds” secured a tough away victory against another promotion candidate, Heracles (4:3), followed by a narrow 1:0 victory against Willem II after a comfortable 3:0 victory in Baku against Karabakh. They then faced Feyenoord in Rotterdam (a rescheduled Matchday 4 match) and reigning champions and league leaders PSV. It looked like Ajax might drop points somewhere, but they won the De Klassieker 2:0 and quickly followed up with a remarkable 3:2 victory against the peasants, coming from behind twice. Last week, Amsterdam recorded an impressive 5-0 home victory over Israeli side Maccabi, solidifying their position in the quest for direct qualification for the knockout stages of the Europa League. Only Lazio (10 points) have won more than Ajax in the tournament, having won all four of their matches.
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Twente vs Ajax: Predictable Lineups
Twente is facing major staffing problems. Key central defender Mes Giehlgers and attacking midfielder Sem Stein, currently the top scorer in both Twente and Eredivisie with eight goals, are missing due to injuries. Additionally, reserve player Younes Taha is unavailable. As for Ajax, the injury situation has improved slightly under Farioli. Only a few reserves and Norwegian defensive midfielder Siver Mannsverk are currently unavailable, and questions remain over the fitness of senior central defender Josip Sutalo.
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Twente vs Ajax: Author’s Prediction
Twente lost just two home games in the Eredivisie last season – a 0:3 loss to an in-form PSV and a 0:1 loss to Utrecht. Before these defeats, the Tukkers were undefeated on their home field for more than a year and a half. They now boast an active unbeaten streak at “Grolsch Veste”, extending to 11 matches, nine of which they won. Ajax won at Enschede in the season before, but that victory came in the KNVB Cup, while in the league they have only managed to get one point from their last three visits, losing the last two matches by identical scores of 1:3. However, Farioli’s team is in excellent form, so they will likely continue their good run against another strong opponent. However, I’m not entirely confident in predicting a victory for the visitors. Additionally, I generally prefer to refrain from predicting the exact outcome of the match. However, I suspect this will be a goal-heavy encounter, with both teams finding the net.
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