Ajax eyes historic win against visiting Spurs

Tottenham Hotspur will look to overturn a 1-0 deficit when it visits the Johan Cruijuff Arena, Amsterdam to take on Ajax.

Published : May 08, 2019 13:58 IST

Ajax will be aiming to secure a place in the Champions League final for the first time since 1996 when it hosts the second-leg against Tottenham Hotspur, which has reached the competition's semis for the first time, at the Johan Cruijuff Arena at Amsterdam.

There are few clubs with a history to match that of Ajax, but the Amsterdam-based club is in the process of writing a new chapter with Erik ten Hag taking them to within sight of a first treble since the days of Johan Cruyff.

On Sunday, Ten Hag's spellbinding team secured the first leg as they beat Willem II 4-0 to win the Dutch Cup.

The battle with PSV Eindhoven for the Eredivisie title resumes this weekend, and by then Ajax could be through to its first Champions League final since 1996.

READ | 'Ajax needs no motivation for biggest game at home' - Ten Hag

It takes a 1-0 lead into its semifinal second-leg against Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday, with young stars like Matthijs de Ligt, Frenkie de Jong and Donny van de Beek mesmerising Europe on a run that has already seen them defeat Real Madrid and Juventus.

There are likely to be a few changes to Ten Hag's line-up for Wednesday's game after the Cup final, when veteran striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar was one of those to come into their team. The Dutch leader is also concerned about Brazilian winger David Neres' fitness, though the problem has not been specified by Ten Hag.

 

After ousting Premier League rival Manchester City in a nerve-racking quarterfinal, Mauricio Pochettino's Spurs suffered a second loss in a row at their new stadium with a sloppy display in the first-leg. Christian Eriksen's performance in the attack was decent, but the likes of Fernando Llorente and Lucas Moura were hardly up to the task in unlocking Ajax's defence.

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However, the visitor will have Son Heung-min back from suspension this time and will bank on the South Korean's pace and trickery. The English side will also look to build on its improved second-half performance in the first-leg as one goal will be enough to restore balance to the tie.

Ajax has kept 14 cleansheets at home this season and will look to keep the defence watertight as the onus is on Moussa Sissoko and Victor Wanyama to disrupt Ajax's rhythm.

Tottenham is currently fourth in the Premier League table, following Saturday's 1-0 loss to Bournemouth, and a win at Amsterdam will be a huge boost going into the final league match against Everton as it looks to seal a top-four finish.

The match will kickoff on Thursday at 12:30 am (IST) and will be broadcast on Ten Network and Sony LIV app.

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