The Telegraph reveals Ajax’s line-up for Tuesday night’s final Champions League group match against Sporting Portugal. Due to back problems, Dusan Tadic is missing for the first time in a European game of Ajax since 2018. In addition, Jurriën Timber, who is on edge and still had a base place against Willem II (5-0 win) last week. The first whistle in the Johan Cruijff ArenA sounds at 9 p.m.
It was expected that Erik ten Hag would give a number of reserve players the chance, but André Onana and Nicolás Tagliafico ‘just’ remain on the bench. Ten Hag opts for a rear guard with Noussair Mazraoui, Perr Schuurs, Lisandro Martínez and Daley Blind. Remko Pasveer defends the goal, where Onana kept against Besiktas (1-2 win). Steven Berghuis, who was still a substitute against Willem II because he had become a father earlier in the week, is again preferred to Davy Klaassen in midfield. The middle line is completed by Edson Álvarez and Ryan Gravenberch. David Neres replaces the injured Tadic and the Brazilian is assisted in the vanguard by Sébastien Haller and Antony.
Rafael van der Vaart had not seen the line-up coming. “Yes, quite surprising, I think”, says the former midfielder at Ziggo Sports. “I expected that Ten Hag would make more changes, especially because it doesn’t really matter anymore. Although we saw recently (in the previous Champions League match against Besiktas, ed.) that it was not going very well, that exchange. And as a coach you naturally want to win everything, so on the other hand I understand him again.”
Both Ajax and Sporting are already certain of wintering in the Champions League and the current position in the group cannot be changed. A profit premium of 2.8 million euros and points for the UEFA coefficient rankings are at stake on Tuesday evening in the Johan Cruijff ArenA. In terms of coefficients, the match is extra important because the Netherlands and Portugal are each other’s direct competitors.
Ajax could become the first Dutch club ever to score a perfect six wins in the Champions League group stage. In September, Sporting was defeated 1-5 in Lisbon, partly thanks to four goals from Haller. The top scorer can take over a record from Erling Braut Haaland on Tuesday evening, who needed seven games to reach double figures in the Champions League. Haller managed to find the net nine times in Ajax’s first five group matches.
Ajax setup: feather; Mazraoui, Schuurs, Martinez, Blind; Álvarez, Berghuis, Gravenberch; Anthony, Haller and Neres.
Line-up Sporting Portugal: nnb