Ajax are looking for a third consecutive win when they host Brighton & Hove Albion in the Europa League. The Dutch behemoths will also try to exact revenge on the Seagulls. They defeated the hosts 2-0 at the Amex last month to win on the continent for the first time.
Preview (Ajax vs. Brighton & Hove Albion)
Pardon the pun, but since he wandered into the Ajax dumpster fire and took over a squad that had lost 10 games in a row and four straight defeats during their sleepwalk to the Eredivisie basement, John van ‘t Schip has definitely stabilized the ship. But Ajax’s horror show ended with Halloween. The hosts had already secured back-to-back Eredivisie victories for the first time this season. They defeated Heerenveen with ease after first putting two goals past Volendam.
Steven Bergwijn and Brian Brobbey gave Ajax a two-goal lead. Luuk Browers’s late first-half goal did set up a suspenseful second half. Due to their mini-revival, Ajax has risen to 11th place in the Eredivisie rankings. They have also allowed just one goal in their previous 180 minutes of play. It is much better when compared to 24 goals in their eight games prior to Van ‘t Schip’s arrival. As a result, they still have a chance to go to the Europa League round of 16.
The Seagulls, on the other hand, had little issue stopping the Ajax offense in their most recent game. They went on to score three goals in Group B, securing their spot in Brighton history with their first-ever victory in European competition, thanks to goals from Joao Pedro and Ansu Fati. The third-place visitors are still playing catch-up in the section. They are one point behind Marseille and below AEK Athens on head-to-head points. If their two rivals draw in Thursday’s match at the top of the table, though, they will take first place if they defeat Ajax.
Though De Zerbi’s club hasn’t won any of their previous five Premier League games, Brighton’s domestic play has been lackluster. Ashley Young’s own goal was necessary to salvage a point in their team’s 1-1 draw with Everton. Brighton’s scoring streak in all competitions was at least extended to seven games. Dutch teams have frequently outperformed their English counterparts in that regard. Premier League teams have failed to make the net bulge in each of their last three Europa League trips.
Team News
Until Akpom’s brace puts him in Van ‘t Schip’s thoughts, Ajax attacker Bergwijn was a little worse for wear after he was taken off at the Amex two weeks ago. However, the former Tottenham Hotspur player has recovered from that injury and should start on the left side of an Ajax frontline with Brobbey and Steven Berghuis. However, there are still four players from Amsterdam who are sidelined for the Seagulls game. Geronimo Rulli (shoulder), Sivert Mannsverk (leg), Jay Gorter, and Amourricho van Axel Dongen (unspecified) are out. Van ‘t Schip shouldn’t feel the need to interfere with a winning team’s cohesion. Borna Sosa, an accomplished player, might replace academy product Arjany Martha at left-back.
Regarding Brighton, De Zerbi must take into account a similar number of injury worries for Thursday’s meeting, including knee injuries sustained by Solly March, Julio Enciso, and Jakub Moder—though the latter is starting to regain some match fitness with the Under-21s. Due to an injury he suffered at the end of October, Danny Welbeck will also likely need to miss a significant amount of time on the sidelines. De Zerbi is equally pessimistic about Pervis Estupinan’s chances of recovering from a thigh injury in time for the November international break. In order to meet the demands of playing in both the Premier League and the Europa League, the Seagulls manager has not shied away from rotating his roster, and planned revisions should result in recalls for both Pedro and Fati.
Ajax 1 – 1 Brighton & Hove Albion
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