Ajax doesn’t like to meet with Real Madrid in recent times. The Dutch powerhouse didn’t win against Los Blancos for a long time. Still, this year’s results are giving them the right to dream big, because the reigning UCL title holders are not that confident as they used to be. Still, no matter the situation and position Real is always the favorite and they need to play to win. This game will be no different. A big advantage of the Madridians is the fact that the second leg is played at Bernabeu, so even if they mess something up, they will have an opportunity to fix it.
Ajax comes into this match after losing in the domestic championship against Heracles, 1-0, and remembering a hard slap in the face against Feyenoord two weeks ago. They finished second in Group E in front of Benfica and AEK, and behind Bayern Munich. Real is high on morale after smashing Atletico Madrid in the local derby. Their journey here wasn’t troublesome at all, but they didn’t amaze anyone either. The Spaniards won the first place in group G, ahead of Roma, Plzen, and CSKA.
A 6-2 humiliation against Feyenoord indicated that something isn’t quite right with the Lancers. The big rival smashed them into pieces, exposing every weakness they had. Tadic and the boys quickly bounced back, trashing VVV Venlo at home 6-0, but disappointed again on Saturday, picking up the second road loss in a row at Heracles, 1-0. That game was only the second one in Ajax’s last 9, in which both teams haven’t scored. It applies the same when it comes to seeing three or more goals, meaning that Ajax plays efficient matches.
The biggest club in the world started to look like it should, in the recent few weeks. Real has 7 straight matches without a loss, six wins and a draw at Camp Nou against Barcelona. Even if that game ended in their favor, it would be unfair. The progress they showed since the New Year is enormous, and Santiago Solari made several right moves regarding the lineup and the tactics which provided positive results immediately. Real plays offensive football as we all know, and five of their previous six contests concluded with over 2.5 goals and both teams to score.
Maximilian Wober is suspended for this game after receiving a direct card in the group stage. Lisandro Magallan suffered a leg injury in January, and he won’t show up, same as Hassane Balde who is out for a long time. Marcos Llorente, Jesus Vallejo, and Franchu are not available for the clash in Amsterdam, and chances to see Isco are also small.
We mentioned that Real presents a nightmare for Ajax in recent times, To be precise, since 2010, Los Blancos won in six straight meeting against this rival, and in all of them, we saw three or more goals. The total goal difference is 20-2 in Real’s favor. But prior to that Ajax had more success, winning 4 matches with one defeat and one draw, eliminating once the Madridians from the UCL semis.
Hosts win stands at 3.60, while a draw could multiply your investment 4 times. Real to win is 1.85.
If the guests play as they did against Atletico Madrid or Barcelona, they will easily solve all their problems regarding this matchup already in Amsterdam. With your Vinícius Júnior in the mood upfront, they can hurt any defense in the world at least two times during 90 minutes. Especially Ajax’s who is not shining at the moment. Our recommendation for the final outcome is Real to win easily, for you who like risk, take their victory with an Asian handicap, -1.5 goals. When talking about efficiency, over 2.5 goals should be the safest bet of the day. Our advice is to try with over 3.5, as these two sides know only to attacks.