Erik ten Hag has announced the line-up of Ajax for the home game in the Champions League with Besiktas. The trainer of the team from Amsterdam chooses Steven Berghuis as number ten, so that Davy Klaassen has to settle for a place on the bench. For the rest, there are no surprises in Ajax’s line-up. The match starts at 6.45 pm in the Johan Cruijff ArenA.
In the absence of Klaassen, Berghuis played Ajax’s last five matches as an attacking midfielder. Klaassen made his comeback as a substitute against FC Groningen (3-0 win) last Saturday and is also not in the starting lineup against Besiktas. That means that Ajax will be playing with the same eleven names as against Groningen. Remko Pasveer is still the goalkeeper of the team from Amsterdam in the absence of the injured Maarten Stekelenburg.
The back positions are occupied by Noussair Mazraoui and Daley Blind, leaving Devyne Rensch and Nicolás Tagliafico on the bench. Rensch played a half with Jong Ajax on Monday evening to gain match rhythm. The central duo consisting of Jurriën Timber and Lisandro Martínez is now familiar, as is the block in the midfield formed by Edson Álvarez and Ryan Gravenberch. In the front, Antony and Dusan Tadic have to provide center striker Sébastien Haller with usable balls.
Where there is no problem for Ajax, the problems are great at Besiktas. Miralem Pjanic, Welinton Souza, Domagoj Vida, Atiba Hutchinson, Mehmet Topal, Necip Uysal, Rachid Ghezzal, Kevin N’Koudou, Alex Teixeira, Cyle Larin and Javier Montero are not fit and therefore were left behind in Istanbul. Michy Batshuayi, the eye-catcher of the team, who has been hired from Chelsea, will return to the striker position.
Two weeks ago, Ajax started the group stage of the Champions League unparalleled by winning 1-5 at Sporting Portugal and taking the lead in the group. Besiktas is still scoreless after the defeat at home against Borussia Dortmund (2-1) two weeks ago.
Ajax setup: feather; Mazraoui, Timber, Martinez, Blind; Álvarez, Berghuis, Gravenberch; Antony, Haller, Tadic
Besiktas lineup: Destanoglu; Rosier, Yilmaz, Meras, N’Sakala; Saatci, Josef; Ucan, Bozdogan, Karaman; batshuayic
