Less than a week after the 0-1 defeat against Liverpool, Ajax has to play again in the group stage of the Champions League tonight. In Bergamo, the game with the leader of Group D is scheduled at 9 p.m.: Atalanta. Ajax will not have to do with the preparation for the duel with the Serie A club; last Saturday, the much-discussed 0-13 record victory was booked at VVV-Venlo.

Ajax had imagined the start of the new European campaign differently. A painful 0-1 defeat was suffered at home against Liverpool. The fact that the English superpower won on Amsterdam soil was not surprising, but given the opportunities that Ajax got, more could have been done. Moreover, big names such as Alisson Becker, Virgil van Dijk and Thiago Alcántara were missing on the English side. Atalanta, on the other hand, has started better in the Champions League. With goals from Duván Zapata, Alejandro Gómez, Luis Muriel and Aleksey Miranchuk, the team of coach Gian Piero Gasperini won 0-4 when visiting Midtjylland. “This team has more experience and self-confidence compared to last season,” Gómez said afterwards Sky Italia. “We know that everything is possible in the group stage and we have to last until the last breath. If we can win Ajax’s next match, then we have good chances of reaching the next round. ”

The big victory in the Champions League did not get a good continuation in Serie A. Last Saturday, Sampdoria turned out to be 1-3 too strong in a match in which some players were given a rest. Sam Lammers started from the base at Atalanta for the first time. Marten de Roon also appeared at the kick-off, but did not make it to the end of the game. The Orange-international got injured and has to miss tonight’s game with Ajax. His absence is a big downer for Gasperini and his team, who also went down 4-1 against Napoli a week earlier.

Lassina Traoré after 0-13: ‘We have to stay on earth now’

The preparation of the team from Amsterdam for the game that starts tonight at 9 PM went better. VVV-Venlo turned out to be cannon fodder for the team of trainer Erik ten Hag. Never before has a club won in the Eredivisie with such figures. Ajax’s victory went all over the world and also reached Gasperini, although he attaches little value to the monster victory. “In football you have defeats and victories. You have to understand what you are doing well and what you are not doing well. Then you can use that in the next game, ”he said at the press conference on Monday. “Ajax is of course an excellent and balanced team, I had already seen that against Liverpool. They can afford to experiment. But I think the Champions League is something else. We hope to make things more difficult for them. ”

The Atalanta trainer spoke with great respect about the leader of the Eredivisie. “Tactically, we are two completely different teams. Ajax is a kind of laboratory in terms of tactics. They will always remain a kind of reference point for me. They always have efficient ideas that I really appreciate. Ajax is a role model for me ”, says a praising Gasperini. Atalanta-back and also ex-Groninger Hans Hateboer is very much looking forward to the showdown. He was happy when Atalanta was linked to Ajax in the group stage. “I was hoping for that last season. Not because it is an easy opponent, on the contrary. But it is nice to be allowed to go to Amsterdam with Atalanta. I am really curious about the balance of forces, ”he said during the press moment on Monday. “How Ajax manifested itself in the Champions League two seasons ago is great for Dutch football. In Europe they seem to be able to bring something even more than in the Eredivisie. There is no favorite during Atalanta – Ajax. I think we are equal. It can also be a really fun match due to our offensive playing styles. With FC Groningen we were always the underdog against Ajax – home and away. Now we smell opportunities. ”

In The Telegraph Ajax keeper André Onana looks ahead to tonight’s game. He calls Atalanta ‘a good team’. “They proved that last season by reaching the quarter finals of the Champions League. Still, we shouldn’t look too much at our opponent. We know what to do. And if we do that well, it will be difficult for them to beat us. Then we are better than Atalanta ”, says the Cameroonian goalkeeper. He says that Ajax has traveled to Bergamo to collect the three points. “Ajax is a big club and as players we have enormous ambitions. If we play like against Liverpool and use the opportunities, we can beat anyone. I am not afraid of Atalanta, but I am happy to play against them. ” Ten Hag is a bit more reserved in his expressions, but agrees with his goalkeeper. “We assume a positive result and I have every confidence in that. It is pointless to talk about defeat, we assume winning. ”

Suspected lineups
Ajax has to do against Atalanta without Mohammed Kudus. The Ghanaian midfielder cum attacker injured his knee in the home game against Liverpool. He will be on the sidelines for months and is not expected to be back in action until next calendar year. Ajax seemed to have come out of the duel with VVV without any damage, but there was a surprise in the selection on Monday. Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, who scored two goals on Sunday when he came in, is ‘not fit for the match’ according to Ten Hag and is therefore replaced by Brian Brobbey. The talented Ajax striker can therefore hope for his debut in the Champions League. This also applies to the Brazilian attacker Antony. The million-dollar purchase was missing against Liverpool because he was ‘not match-fit’ according to the trainer. Where Brobbey is expected to be on the bench, Ten Hag seems to have a basic place in store for Antony.

It Algemeen Dagblad expect Daley Blind to play in midfield tonight, just like against Liverpool. His place in the rear is expected to be filled by Lisandro Martínez, who also played against that position the Reds. Ten Hag caused a big surprise last week by opting for a system with two strikers and Kudus as an attacking midfielder. The newspaper is counting on the Bergamo trainer to opt for the familiar 4-3-3 system with Dusan Tadic in the striker. Lassina Traoré, good for five goals on Saturday, will probably have to settle for a place on the bench. Antony and David Neres will have to take care of the creativity on the flanks.

Probable position of Atalanta: Sportiello; Tololi, Romero, Djimsiti; Hateboer, Pasalic, Freuler, Gómez, Gosens; Muriel, Zapata

Probable line-up Ajax: Onana; Mazraoui, Schuurs, Martínez, Tagliafico; Klaassen, Blind, Gravenberch; Antony, Tadic, Neres