Ajax starts the European season tonight at 9 p.m. with a very tough match against Liverpool. Erik ten Hag spoke with great respect about the Premier League club during the press conference on Tuesday and even called the opponent ‘the best team in the world’. Without missing the injured Virgil van Dijk the Reds their great leader in the rear, but nevertheless the team from Amsterdam takes the role of underdog at the start of the group stage of the Champions League.

“If you first win the Champions League and a year later the Premier League, then you show that you are the best team in the world,” said Ten Hag during the press moment on Tuesday. Based on those facts, that statement is understandable, but looking at the results of Liverpool in recent weeks, the team of manager Jürgen Klopp does not stop there. The famous saying goes: you are as good as your last game. In that case, it turns out that the ‘best team in the world’ is also not unbeatable. Last Saturday, the reigning champion of England had to settle for a 2-2 draw against Everton, while the game was lost 7-2 to Aston Villa prior to the international period. Ajax will want to draw courage from these results on its way to the showdown in the Johan Cruijff ArenA.

Ajax – Liverpool is a poster that the team from Amsterdam would have liked to have played last year. In the run-up to tonight’s game, thoughts during the press conference went back to the 2018/19 season, in which Ajax faced Tottenham Hotspur in the semi-final of the Champions League. The team from Amsterdam won 0-1 in London and led 2-0 in the return for their own audience after 45 minutes of play. Due to Lucas Moura’s hat-trick it went wrong and not Ajax but Tottenham played against Liverpool in the final. “That should have been the final then”, said captain Dusan Tadic, who had given Ajax a good chance against Liverpool. “In finals it is always – about one match – fifty-fifty. But now it is a different game. We always want to play great matches against big teams. But we are also a big team. That is why it will be a great match to watch. ”

Ten Hag about striker position against Liverpool: ‘That is your conclusion’

Liverpool manager Klopp spoke with great respect about Ajax on Tuesday. “Ajax is a top club. Even if they would play in England, they would do well. But they play in the Netherlands and I love the Eredivisie,” said the German trainer. “They have a very good youth academy. When they sell players, the next ones are ready. It is a beautiful club with a great appearance, a good coach and a lot of talent. After that semi-final they have a top team again. ” Klopp only briefly commented on Ajax, because most of the questions he received from the journalists were about Van Dijk’s injury. “Is anyone interested in tomorrow’s match?” He wondered aloud. About Van Dijk: “Such things happen, but it shouldn’t have happened. The referee didn’t see it, while he had the best view. is difficult to deal with. ”

Georiginio Wijnaldum went into detail about Van Dijk’s injury. On Saturday, the man was given a wild tackle by goalkeeper Jordan Pickford against Everton and cannot escape knee surgery. He is expected to be on the side for more than six months. “We are devastated. I didn’t sleep that night. And I think that’s the case for most guys, “Wijnaldum said.” I don’t think it was the intention to injure Virgil, but we’ve been going through it a lot more against Everton in recent years. In the derby, players of Everton went over the line several times on Saturday, just before time Richarlison was sent off with a red card after a foul on Thiago. Wijnaldum calls the way the Brazilian striker injured his teammate “dirty”.

Injuries
At Ajax the loss of Antony is a great loss. The Brazilian winger has adapted quickly in his first months in Amsterdam and seemed ready for a starting place against Liverpool. On Tuesday, Ten Hag reported that the Brazilian winger is ‘not fit’. He was not allowed to say more about that situation. There are rumors in the media that Antony is infected with the corona virus and therefore cannot make his debut in the Champions League. Jurriën Timber is also not there. Except for these two players, Ten Hag has a fit selection.

The concerns on the Liverpool side are greater. Van Dijk is missing a lot; the 29-year-old Orange-international is the absolute leader in the rearguard and has played almost all matches since his arrival in 2018. At the heart of the defense, Klopp doesn’t have Joel Matip either. The center-back is not fit enough to play and has therefore not traveled to Amsterdam. The Brazilian closing post Alisson is still not available either. He’s been sidelined for weeks with a shoulder injury. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is not there due to a knee injury, while Thiago is also not available. The Spain international is not unscathed from the battle with the the Toffees come.

Suspected lineups
Ten Hag seems to be choosing Tadic again in the point of the attack. In the Eredivisie, the trainer prefers to post his captain on the left flank, but in a European context, the Serbian attacker has proven to be an excellent striker. “Against teams that put a lot of pressure on us, it is Dusan’s quality to make themselves playable, to keep the ball with them and to give a good continuation in order to start the attack”, Ten Hag explained on Tuesday. “In the Eredivisie it is not the case that we often come under pressure. Then he has a lot of return if he can get to crosses and smart passes from the left. And from there he also has a lot of scoring ability ”, said the trainer, who did not want to confirm that Tadic will start in the striker.

Noussair Mazraoui seemed slightly affected against sc Heerenveen (5-1) on Sunday and was replaced by Sean Klaiber in the second half. His substitution was a precaution and the right back can just appear at kick-off tonight. Due to the large lead against the Frisians, Ten Hag could afford to take players like Daley Blind and Tadic to the side early and to give them some rest for the duel with Liverpool. David Neres started from the base for the first time in a long time on Sunday. The Brazilian winger was injured in the group stage of the Champions League against Chelsea last year. He lasted for eighty minutes and seems to be able to prepare for a starting place again now that Antony is not there.

Probable line-up Ajax: Onana; Mazraoui, Schuurs, Blind, Tagliafico; Kudus, Klaassen, Gravenberch; Neres, Tadic, Promes

Probable line-up Liverpool: Adrián; Alexander-Arnold, Fabinho, Gomez, Robertson; Keïta, Henderson, Wijnaldum; Salah, Firmino, Mané