Feyenoord will look to strengthen their title defense as they face their main rivals Ajax in the Eredivisie. The hosts have yet to find their form in their quest to win back the championship. The visitors have had an undefeated start to the league season.
Preview (Ajax vs. Feyenoord)
Ajax set out to continue their run of dominance in the Dutch top flight last time around. They won three straight Eredivisie titles and narrowly missed out on a fourth. The COVID-19 pandemic outbreak ended the 2019–20 season. However, they were unsuccessful in doing so, finishing third behind De Klassieker rivals Feyenoord by 13 points. After that disappointment, De Godenzonen decided to change their managerial team. They hired Maurice Steijn and gave him the goal of winning the Eredivisie title again this year. However, things have gotten off to another slow start. They currently sit in 12th place with just five points from their first four games.
The Amsterdam giants did get off to a strong start by defeating Heracles 4-1 in their opening match. There were goals from Jakov Medic and Mohammed Kudus as well as a late brace from Steven Bergwijn. They endured disappointing draws with Excelsior and Fortuna Sittard. With a two-leg Europa League playoff victory over Ludogorets Razgrad, they advanced. After going to FC Twente and losing 3-1, De Godenzonen’s most recent top-flight match resulted in their first league loss of the season. They now enter Sunday’s pivotal game coming off of an eventful first Europa League group game in which they hosted Marseille and ultimately drew 3-3.
Steijn’s team will attempt to send a message and boost their confidence by defeating the defending champions, De Klassieker, at home before turning their attention back to the Eredivisie and hoping to recover from the bad start. That won’t be a simple assignment, though, as Feyenoord has started their championship defense with an unbeaten streak after winning the Eredivisie for the first time since 2017 the previous season. De Stadionclub hasn’t yet taken the league by storm because they had to settle for draws against Fortuna Sittard and Sparta Rotterdam, but they’ve stayed up with them with three straight spectacular triumphs.
Team News
Ajax should line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation on Sunday if everyone is healthy. The exception of goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli and defender Ahmetcan Kaplan, who are still out. The front three of Steven Bergwijn, Brian Brobbey, and Carlos Forbs, who joined the team from Manchester City in the summer and scored in their 3-3 draw with Marseille, may remain the same from Thursday. Chuba Akpom and Georges Mikautadze, two more recent additions, are vying for early roles. Steven Berghuis will undoubtedly start in the midst of a supporting three behind the striker.
Behind them, Josip Sutalo and Jorrel Hato are likely to reunite in the middle of the defense. Devyne Rensch and Borna Sosa likely complete the back four. Kenneth Taylor should start in the engine room with Benjamin Tahirovic, Sivert Mannsverk, or Branco van den Boomen. Feyenoord is still battling with a number of continuing injuries. Goalkeepers Justin Bijlow, Bart Nieuwkoop, and Ayase Ueda are the main ones. Meanwhile, winger Luka Ivanusec was pulled off in Feyenoord’s triumph against Celtic. He has unexpectedly been cleared to play this weekend.
Ajax 1 – 2 Feyenoord
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