@ZAPunter provides his betting tips for the Uefa Champions League clash between Ajax and Chelsea which takes place on Wednesday 23rd October
AJAX VS CHELSEA, WEDNESDAY @ 18:55:
Chelsea beat Newcastle 1-0 this weekend and will hope to continue their run of 6 wins when they travel to Amsterdam on Wednesday to face Ajax. Ajax, however, are top of the group and won both their matches against Lille and Valencia by a 3-0 scoreline. Last seasons Champions League semi-finalists are also unbeaten in the league and it looks like they aren’t missing De Jong and De Ligt that much. Lampard has taken over Chelsea with a transfer ban and has put a lot of belief in their youth players so far. This should be a cracker with Ajax wanting some revenge on English opposition and Chelsea simply can’t drop points if they want to reach the round of 16.
AJAX:
Ajax has been excellent once again this season after their surprise run to the Champions League semi-final last season. The reigning Eredivisie champions sit top of the league after 8 wins and 2 draws, pulling away once again from potential title rivals PSV. Imagine not watching Ajax when they play on Supersport?, well, that’s how I feel at least. The Ajax way (4-3-3) was in fashion long before Barcelona adopted it and made it world famous, especially for the younger generation. The free flowing football and the confidence in youth has made the club special and last season was excellent. Every neutral fan supported Ajax against the rich/modern football clubs and they came so close. Ajax’s xG this season: xGf – 1.53 and xGa – 2.02, taking their chances in front of goal, but should eventually start conceding more, is this the game? Manager Erik ten Hag has a fully fit squad for the visit of Chelsea.
CHELSEA:
Chelsea’s season got off to a slow start under Frank Lampard, but that was expected with the transfer ban, Hazard leaving and Lampard’s decision to select youth players from the start. Since then things have turned around and Chelsea is better in defence and looking to climb up the league table. They lost their first Champions League game at home to Valencia, but bounced back against Lille away, the group is wide open so every game is vital. This will no doubt be a learning curve for some of the Chelsea players and Lampard will hope that the youngsters can rise to the occasion. Their xG statistics: xGf – 2.1 and xGa – 0.92, the Blues have been excellent going forward, creating numerous goal scoring opportunities, they have been solid at the back, but opponents have been clinical in taking their chances when you compare it to actual goals. Lampard has a number of injuries for the midweek encounter: Barkley, Kante, Rudiger, Emerson, Christensen is all highly unlikely to feature.
PROBABLE LINE-UPS:
Ajax: 4-3-3
Onana,
Dest, Veltman, Blind, Tagliafico,
Martinez, Alvarez, Van de Beek,
Tadic, Ziyech, Promes.
Chelsea: 4-3-3
Arrizabalaga,
Azpilicueta, Zouma, Tomori, Alonso,
Kovacic, Jorginho, Mount,
Willian, Abraham, Hudson-Odoi
PREDICTION:
Goals. Yes, it’s that simple. I really like this game to go over the total and both teams will try and outscore each other. Ajax are clinical and like to press high playing at home, this will force Chelsea to make mistakes in possession and concede goal scoring chances. Chelsea will look to hurt Ajax on the counter, with their pace up front causing problems for Ajax. This should be end to end stuff with a great atmosphere at the Johan Cruijff stadium. I will be tuning in for this one, expecting goals and football being played on the floor. This should set us up for our best bet later on!
BETTING:
Over 3 Goals – 1.91 @ BetOlimp
Champions League Record: 3-1
Champions League BEST BET Record: 1-0
Note, odds quoted are available at the time of writing but are subject to change
@ZAPunter
