Ajax Amsterdam v RSC Anderlecht: Europa League - preview
AFC Ajax Amsterdam
The Amsterdammers were ruthless in their Europa League Round of 32 first leg encounter against the Belgian outfit, RSC Anderlecht.
Ajax thrashed the Sporting 3–0 in front of their home crowd. De Joden now welcome the Belgian outfit for the return leg at Amsterdam Arena as they look to finish the job and cement a place in the next round.
The Ajacieden will be looking to emerge victorious against the Belgian outfit at Amsterdam Arena. De Joden fans are expecting improved performances from their beloved side in the Europa League after the team’s first round exit from the UEFA Champions League.
The Fans have every right to remain optimistic for their side after their team achieved an excellent result at Constant Vanden Stock.
Team manager, Frank de Boer, has warned his troops against complacency as qualification to the next round has not been sealed yet. He said, “I want us to fully concentrate on Anderlecht. If we make a slack start, we may be only two goals up. That should
not happen. The Europa League is far too good a tournament. There are many good teams in this competition”.
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/RSC-Anderlecht-c40394
The Belgian Jupiler League outfit will be hoping to turn the things around in the return leg. The Purple & White know the fact that only a miracle can seal their progression to the next phase of the Europa League.
Many believed that the Sporting deserved a better result, as they created more opportunities in front of the goal.
However, much to the Sporting fans’ disappointment, the Purple & White strikers wasted every goal scoring opportunity that came their way.
Consequently, they have left the Amsterdammers in the driving seat to qualify for the Europa League Round of 16.
The Sporting general manager, Herman Van Holsbeeck, admits that his side will need a miracle to overturn their three goal deficit.
“We must be realistic. The chances that we will still qualify are almost nil. If you analyse the game objectively, you have to admit. We played a good first half, created chances, but lacked the finishing. The last 25 minutes we were completely outplayed
and then after 90 minutes there was a heavy 0-3 final score on the board”, Holsbeeck bemoaned.
Team news
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/AFC-Ajax-c38228 Amsterdam
The midfielder, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Bruno-Silva-c8156 will also miss the game as has still not recovered from a dislocated shoulder.
RSC Anderlecht
Team manager, Ariel Jacobs, will have a fully fit squad as his side has no serious injuries.
Players to watch
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Christian-Eriksen-c9074 will be the key player on the pitch for the Amsterdammers. The prolific playmaker has been the star performer for de Joden in recent months, attracting interest from a host of elite European clubs.
The 19-year old played a vital role in Ajax’s win in http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Belgium-c2850 last week. It will be hard for the visitors to tie him down.
The 17-year old striker, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Romelu-Lukaku-c31672, failed to find the back of the net in their last week’s defeat. However, the Belgian prodigy remains a genuine goal scoring threat. He will be the key player for the Belgian outfit if they want to keep their European
hopes alive this season.
Prediction
The Amsterdammers will be the favourites to win the match with an exciting 3–2 score line, as they are enjoying excellent home form this season.
Tags: