Jurriën Timber will most likely not play for Ajax in the cup match against FC Den Bosch on Wednesday, reports Football International wednesday morning. The center defender, like many of his colleagues, has fallen victim to the flu wave that is prevalent in Amsterdam. With this, the problems are piling up for trainer Alfred Schreuder, who currently only has a fully fit keeper file.
Gerónimo Rulli will make his debut for Ajax in Den Bosch, Schreuder already hinted during a press conference earlier this week. It is expected that Remko Pasveer and Maarten Stekelenburg will travel to Brabant as substitute keepers, meaning that Jay Gorter will not be included in the selection. In addition to Timber, Ahmetcan Kaplan, Youri Regeer and Youri Baas are missing from the defense, all of whom are injured. Youth players Jorrel Hato and Olivier Aertssen were already on the bench last Sunday, when Ajax got no further than a 1-1 draw with NEC in Nijmegen in the Eredivisie.
In midfield, the flu wave has caught Kenneth Taylor, Steven Berghuis and Mohammed Kudus, while Florian Grillitsch is also injured. Kian Fitz-Jim will probably start in the base alongside Edson Álvarez and Davy Klaassen. Further expected Football International also a lot of youth in the selection for this line, with only the name of seventeen-year-old Silvano Vos being mentioned.
In the front, Ajax is missing Brian Brobbey (shoulder injury) and Steven Bergwijn (flu). With Kudus’ illness, the most logical alternative to the striker position is also absent, so Lorenzo Lucca will get his chance as a basic player. The tall Italian will be flanked in Den Bosch by Francisco Conceição and Dusan Tadic. Although Schreuder will miss many players on Wednesday evening, the team from Amsterdam will have to win in De Vliert. A duel with FC Twente in the Eredivisie awaits on Saturday, in which the pressure will also be intense due to the many uncertainties and the loss of points last weekend.
Probable Ajax line-up: Rulli, Sanchez, Rensch, Bassey, Wijndal; Alvarez, Klaassen, Fitz-Jim; Conceicao, Lucca, Tadic.