Maurice Steijn has announced Ajax’s line-up for the return in the Europa League against Ludogorets. The coach saw the star in Bulgaria, Mohammed Kudus, leave for West Ham United. Carlos Forbs takes his place as right winger. Steven Berghuis is fit enough to be in the selection, but takes a seat on the bench. Kenneth Taylor once again gets a starting place, while Branco van den Boomen also appears at the kick-off. After the 1-4 win in Razgrad, Ajax is very close to reaching the group stage.
Jay Gorter defends the Amsterdam goal. The goalie sees Devyne Rensch, Jakov Medic, Jorrel Hato and Owen Wijndal in front of him. Anton Gaaei therefore has to wait a while for his debut. Benjamin Tahirovic and Van den Boomen are the midfield controllers, while Taylor on 10 must provide the supply towards the attack. Striker Brian Brobbey is flanked by Forbs (right) and Steven Bergwijn (left).
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Thanks to Kudus, who eventually made a hat-trick, Ajax already distanced itself from Ludogorets in the first leg before the break. Berghuis was also a basic player at the time, but his participation in the return was uncertain because he was ill. However, the attacking midfielder has recovered in time. The Ajax fans will have to be patient to see purchases Josip Sutalo, Chuba Akpom and Georges Mikautadze at work, as they are not registered for the diptych. In addition, Gastón Ávila’s paperwork is not yet complete, so the Argentinian also has to wait for his debut. Steijn guards against underestimation against Ludogorets. “We take this game very seriously, despite the fact that we are in good shape.”
Ludogorets washed away the hopeless defeat against Ajax on Sunday with a convincing 5-0 win over Beroe. Franco Russo and Bernard Tekpetey quickly took the lead 2-0. After the break, Jakub Piotrowski, Caio Vidal and Spas Delev were responsible for the other hits. In March 2017, the latter was personally responsible for the fact that the Dutch national team suffered a crucial defeat in the qualification for the 2018 World Cup. The striker then gave Matthijs de Ligt a horror debut, but is now a bench seat at Ludogorets, as Rwan Seco is the number one in the striker is. The Eagles have moved up to sixth place in the Parva Liga thanks to the victory over Beroe.
Setup Ajax: Gorter; Rensch, Medic, Hato, Wijndal; Tahirovic, Taylor, Van den Boomen; Forbs, Brobbey, Bergwijn.
Line-up Ludogorets: Sluga; Witry, Sonko-Sundberg, Verdon, Heister; Yordanov, Goncalves, Piotrowski; Caio Vidal, Rwan Seco, Tekpetey.