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Ajax kick off their Eredivisie title defense on Saturday when they welcome NEC Nijmegen to the Johan Cruijff Arena.
The visitors returned to the Dutch top-flight courtesy of a 2-1 victory over NAC Brenda in the playoff final to end their five-year stint in the Eerste Divisie.
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Following an impressive pre-season, Ajax were denied their first piece of silverware last Friday as they suffered a humiliating 4-0 defeat against PSV Eindhoven in the Johan Cruyff Shield final.
In a game where Ajax saw red, English youngster Noni Madueke scored a first-half brace to give PSV a comfortable lead heading into the break before Yorbe Vertessen and Mario Gotze completed the rout in the final 15 minutes of the game.
Prior to the defeat, Erik ten Hag’s men were on a 16-match unbeaten streak across all competitions, picking up 11 wins and five draws.
Their last defeat came back in April, when they were beaten 2-1 at home by Italian side AS Roma.
Meanwhile, NEC Nijmegen head into the game off the back of an impressive 2-0 home victory over Greek side OFI Crete.
Midfielder Jordy Bruijn opened the scoring for the hosts from the penalty spot in the 13th minute before Ivan Marquez doubled their lead in the 52nd minute.
It was the third straight win for Rogier Meijer’s men since opening their pre-season with consecutive defeats against AZ Alkmaar and Amsterdsche FC.
While they will aim to maintain this fine run, they take on an opposing side who are unbeaten in their last 17 meetings, picking up 13 wins and four draws.
Ajax vs NEC Nijmegen Head-To-Head
Ajax have been utterly dominant against NEC Nijmegen, claiming 23 wins from their previous 22 encounters. The visitors have managed just two wins, while nine games have ended in draws.
Ajax Form Guide (all competitions): W-D-D-W-L
NEC Nijmegen Form Guide (all competitions): L-L-W-W-W
Ajax vs NEC Nijmegen Team News
Ajax
The hosts will be without the services of defender Sean Klaiber, who has been ruled out with a knee injury. Nicolas Tagliafico was suspended for the game after picking up a red card last time out, while Andre Onana continues to serve his long-term suspension.
Injured: Sean Klaiber
Suspended: Nicolas Tagliafico, Andre Onana
NEC Nijmegen
The visitors will be unable to call upon the services of defender Rens van Eijden, who sustained a knee injury.
Injured: Rens van Eijden
Suspended: None
Ajax vs NEC Nijmegen Predicted XI
Ajax Predicted XI (4-3-3): Maarten Stekelenburg; Noussair Mazraoui, Jurrien Timber, Daley Blind, Devyne Rensch; Ryan Gravenberch, Kenneth Taylor, Zakaria Labyad; Steven Berghuis, Sebastien Haller, Dusan Tadic
NEC Nijmegen Predicted XI (4-3-3): Mattijs Branderhorst; Bart van Rooij, Iván Márquez, Cas Odenthal, Souffian El Karouani; Lasse Schöne, Dirk Proper, Jordy Bruijn; Jonathan Okita, Ole Romeny, Mikkel Duelund
Ajax vs NEC Nijmegen Prediction
Ajax head into the game off the back of a humbling Super Cup final defeat against PSV and will aim to quickly move on from that result. The visitors are in fine form, picking up three wins from their last three outings.
However, looking at past results in this fixture and the gulf in quality between the two sides, we predict Ajax will claim a comfortable win on Saturday.
Prediction: Ajax 3-0 NEC Nijmegen
