The line-up of Ajax for the competition match against Sparta Rotterdam is known. Erik ten Hag let André Onana start in the Champions League on Wednesday against Besiktas (1-2 win), but now opts again for Remko Pasveer under the bar. The trainer makes two striking changes from the usual eleven names. Danilo starts in the striker at the expense of Sébastien Haller, while David Neres takes the place of Antony. The game starts at 12.15 pm at Het Kasteel and is led by Jochem Kamphuis.
In the back, Perr Schuurs and Nicolás Tagliafico make way for Jurriën Timber and Daley Blind. Edson Álvarez also returns to the base. The midfielder was suspended against Besiktas, but is now again preferred over Davy Klaassen. In Istanbul, Dusan Tadic played in the striker position and Mohamed Daramy started from the left, but now Tadic is moving back to the left wing. Sébastien Haller is replaced in the attack by Danilo, who is in the starting line for the first time this season. On the right, Neres starts at the expense of Antony. Haller and Antony are also not on the bench against Sparta.
Matches against Sparta usually cause few problems for the team from Amsterdam. The last nine matches in the Eredivisie have been turned into a win. The last time Ajax lost points against the Rotterdam team was in August 2009, when it was 0-0. Moreover, there is only one club in the Eredivisie that conceded more goals against Ajax than Sparta: Willem II. The Tilburgers had to fish 279 times, while Ajax has scored 275 times against Sparta so far. At Sparta, the sharpness appears to be lacking, especially in the last fifteen minutes, as the team is beaten most often of all teams in the Eredivisie in that phase (eight times, as often as SC Cambuur).
Henk Fraser has an almost fit selection against Ajax. The team from Rotterdam is performing very inconsistently this season, but the defensive organization is generally good. Only one goal was conceded against FC Twente and Feyenoord, while the zero was kept against Willem II. Sparta has conceded only two goals in the last four games. Fraser opts for five defenders against Ajax and has, among other things, made room for Vito van Crooij, who takes the place of Lennart Thy.
Setup Sparta Rotterdam: okoye; Masouras, Vriends, Beugelsdijk, Heylen, Pinto; Abels, Auassar, Smeets; Van Crooij, Emegha.
Ajax setup: feather; Mazraoui, Timber, Martinez, Blind; Álvarez, Berghuis, Gravenberch; Neres, Danilo, Tadic.