Erik ten Hag believes Borussia Dortmund are still the big favorite to win the group, despite his side’s 4-0 win over the Germans two weeks ago. The Ajax coach looked ahead to the return on Tuesday evening during the press conference, noting that his team sometimes hopes too much for the referee, but that the players should not count on that. Ten Hag then indicated that he could also ‘play dirty’ with his team if necessary.
Heracles Almelo coach Frank Wormuth said after the home draw against Ajax (0-0) last Saturday that the team from Amsterdam schmützig (loosely translated: dirty) must be played to achieve a result against Ajax. “We can do that too,” Ten Hag responds, when this is mentioned during the press conference. However, the trainer acknowledges that his team sometimes has trouble with that. “We can throw that hesitation off of us at times.”
“This team sometimes has the problem of not having the right focus and energy,” continues Ten Hag. The trainer then bridges the gap to Wednesday evening’s game. “We have to be on from the start. If the opponent plays hard, we have to play hard too. You will not receive anything as a gift, no one will help you.” The coach expects, especially after the disgrace of the Germans in Amsterdam (4-0), a ‘very different Dortmund’. “Of course she doesn’t like this. Then you can expect a response, we have to be prepared for that.”
Ten Hag still sees Dortmund as a favorite in the group, as he also indicated at the start of the Champions League campaign. “That doesn’t change after one game, I don’t think so opportunistic. Maybe you do. No, right? Three games have been played, but there are also three more games to come.” Ajax is currently leading in Group C with nine points from three matches Those Boruses follow with six points. If the away match in Dortmund is won, the current leader of the Eredivisie will secure a place in the knockout phase with two more matches to play.
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