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Ajax to Finish Spurs Off in Amsterdam

Ajax are just one step away from a Champions League final, and they have the upper hand over Tottenham. Neither of these two were expected to still be in the competition at this stage, but now they are, it would be a huge disappointment for the one who misses out. With a 1-0 lead from the first leg and home advantage here for the second, there is no doubt that the tie is currently in favour of Ajax, although with 90 minutes, and maybe more to come, anything can happen. Both teams are certainly good enough to beat their opponents, and this one will all come down to who can put their best performance in on the night, will that be Ajax, or can Tottenham steal it?

Whoever wins the game will know their opponents in the final, with Barcelona travelling to Liverpool 24 hours earlier hoping to finish the job and hold onto their three goal lead to make the final.

First Leg Recap

Overall in the game, there probably wasn’t too much to choose between these two in the first leg, other than one glaring difference. Ajax have all of their attacking players available, and they looked good going forward, with players linking up and finding space to create chances to score.

Tottenham went into the game without their main striker Harry Kane and his primary support Heung Min Son, which was a huge blow for the London club. Throughout the game, Tottenham did well until the final third, where they failed to put things together and work in the same organised manner as Ajax. Spurs have ability in midfield, and players like Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli are more than capable of creating attacking chances for them but there was no movement from those ahead of them and that was the main problem in the game.

That will be the main focus of Tottenham’s game plan this week, but the good news for them is that Son is back in the line up after his suspension, and he will certainly be looking to give his team a spark in the final third of the field. We have seen him link up well with players like Eriksen and Alli behind him, and his return will give Tottenham fans hope that they can at least score here, and possibly reach the Champions League final.

Are Ajax Capable of Mixing it With Europe’s Best?

This Ajax team has delivered time and time again this season when the odds have been stacked against them, and are they finally showing us that they can compete with the best in Europe? Coming from the Dutch Eredivise they are not playing in one of the big European leagues, and that is normally what holds them back. When they created a top quality team back in the 80s and 90s, money did not play the part it does in football now so they got away with not having as much as their rivals.

However, we now live in a world where money in football is huge, and without the financial muscle, can Ajax ever sit back at the top of the European football ladder. Their young team is a joy to watch, and many of the players involved this season have come through the highly regarded Ajax youth system. These players have been thoroughly scouted and then developed by the club, so money isn’t really needed to bring anyone in, as long as their system continues to produce the kind of players we have been seeing from them recently.

The problem may come though when success at the highest level is achievable. The current crop of Ajax players are proving themselves on the big stage right now, and they are helping their club create a team that can compete in Europe. The problem here though is that because of their success, the players they have at the club are now attracting interest from others, and this is where money is going to play a big part in the future of Ajax football club.

If an English club has a star player they don’t want to sell, they have the income from their domestic league to be able to hold firm and say no if they wish to. Ajax don’t have that, and I can see many instances in the future where they simply have to accept an offer from a fellow European giant because the money on the table is far too much for them to turn down. Of course, Ajax will be able to invest the money they get in other players, but the production line of talent will never actually remain and help Ajax perform in Europe for too long. I can see continued success for their youth program, but I feat that there is so little money in Dutch football at the moment that Ajax are going to lose many of their players as they simply don’t have the funds behind them to turn down offers for their big names.

Ajax vs Tottenham Betting Tips

I don’t envisage much being between these two teams on the night, although it is fair to say that home advantage will be big for Ajax. They are just one step away from the Champions League final after a great season, and I think they will get there by winning the game on Wednesday.

Tottenham are coming towards the end of a long, hard season and you can tell that in their play. They have been a long way from their best recently both in this competition and in the Premier League, I think this will be a step too far for them.

The return of Son will help Spurs, and they will have more attacking intent because of him being in the team and because they have to play a more attacking game as they need to score. However, that won’t be enough here, I’m backing the Dutch side to get the better of them, and win this game in 90 minutes as they reach the Champions League final to setup a tie against the winners of the game on Tuesday night.