Nordin Amrabat will take on Ajax with AEK Athens on Thursday evening. The former attacker of VVV-Venlo and PSV smells opportunities against the Amsterdam team due to the unrest at Ajax. Yet Amrabat fears the reunion with Josip Sutalo. “He played like a boss against us twice.”
AEK Athens played a diptych against Dinamo Zagreb in the preliminary round of the Champions League (4-3 win for AEK Athens), where Sutalo was still under contract. Opposite Ajax Life Amrabat says he has been impressed by the Croatian defender, who has had a rough start at his new club. “Sutalo played like a boss against us twice. Just write that down. Our striker Levi Garcia is not the easiest to play against.” The striker from Trinidad and Tobago is still a doubt for Thursday.
Due to the general malaise at Ajax, the Morocco international sees opportunities for his team. “Of course that works to our advantage. If there is trouble at the top of a club, it will seep into the dressing room. As a player you certainly take something like that with you onto the field. Older players can better close themselves off to that, but when you are young it is more difficult.”
For Amrabat, Thursday’s match means a reunion with the club where he attended the youth academy. Amrabat expects that Ajax will end up in a real witch’s cauldron in Greece. “We play in front of 35,000 supporters in a new, full stadium. The supporters are close to the field and the atmosphere is great.” AEK Athens managed to record a somewhat surprising victory in the previous Europa League match against a visit to Brighton & Hove Albion. The Greek champion won 2-3 and leads Group B.
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