Ajax take on French side Lyon at the Johan Cruijff Arena in Amsterdam on Wednesday in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League semi-finals clash. The two teams have not met since 2011, when the two encounters they had in the Champions League group stage ended goalless. Before that, Ajax recorded a double victory over Lyon at the same stage of the Champions League, 2-1 in Amsterdam and 2-0 in France. Ajax have not qualified for an European final since 1996, while Lyon have never managed to play the final of a major continental competition.
Ajax had more than a week to prepare for this match as they have not played any competitive matches since the 1-0 league defeat at PSV on April 23. That result leaves them in second place with two games left in the season and leaders Feyenoord are four points away, so the title is pretty much gone. They still have to defend the second place, which grants them a spot in next season's Champions League, as PSV are just three points behind. Nick Viergever and Joel Veltman are suspended for Wednesday's match, but there are no injury worries for the home side.
Lyon got a 2-1 victory at Angers last weekend to consolidate their fourth place in Ligue 1 but they can't hope for a top-three finish so all their efforts will be concentrated on the Europa League for the remainder of the season. They survived a tense tie with Besiktas in the quarter-finals and eventually kept their calm to qualify after a penalty shoot-out in Istanbul. Star striker Alexandre Lacazette has a slight injury and he might be left on the bench in order to improve his chances of playing the full second leg.
Probable line-ups:
Ajax: Onana - Tete, Sanchez, Ligt, Sinkgraven - Klaassen, Schone, Ziyech - Traore, Dolberg, Younes
Lyon: Lopes - Jallet, Mammana, Diakhaby, Morel - Gonalons, Tousart - Ghezzal, Tolisso, Valbuena - Fekir
My prediction: Ajax to win 2-1.
Here are the odds for the match at Bet365:
Ajax win - 2.40
Draw - 3.75
Lyon win - 2.90
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Comments (1)
sharpe
05/07/17, 07:05:04 PM
That was a stunning result not only for the French side but for me too. I didn't see that coming at all, obviously Ajax getting in great shape now and they could...
That was a stunning result not only for the French side but for me too. I didn't see that coming at all, obviously Ajax getting in great shape now and they could surprise any of the teams left in the tournament. Will the French side have the force to respond is a mystery but they are definitely great team to watch so I really hope to see them on the final, don't looking possible as it stands right now though.
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