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#1 Comparitively easier semi-final opponent
Ajax face a depleted Spurs side, with superstar Harry Kane nursing an ankle injury, having a slight chance of featuring in UCL finals if his side manages to qualify. Tottenham's unlikely hero, Moussa Sissoko, and Jan Vertonghen are doubtful for the first leg. The 29-year-old Frenchman's replacement, Eric Dier, has looked rusty due to his lengthy injury.
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Mauricio Pochettino faces an acute shortage of midfielders due to an injury crisis. Harry Winks is in the long list of unavailable players, suffering a hip injury in the quarter-final tie against Manchester City. Shortage of players at a crucial stage of the could derail Spurs' season.
The Amsterdam outfit will face a weakened Tottenham team, and it presents a glorious chance for Ajax to qualify for the finals. With no disrespect to Tottenham Hotspur, the Holland side could have ended up with Liverpool or Barcelona as their opponents, and the European legacy of the Anfield or Camp Nou might have proved too much to handle for the young guns.
AFC Ajax won their last Champions League in 1995 under Louis van Gaal with the 'Golden Generation' comprising Patrick Kluivert, Clarence Seedorf, Frank Rijkaard, and many others. The players moved elsewhere to find success after their triumph at Ajax.
Frenkie de Jong has agreed to join Barcelona in the summer and skipper Matthijs De Ligt looks set to leave Johan Cruijff Arena too. The talented squad will be dismantled after the current campaign is concluded, and a CL victory could give them a tag of 'Golden Generation 2.0'.
This year's Champions League finishes in Madrid where Ajax's fairy-tale started by knocking out 13 times winner Real Madrid. The Royal Netherlands Football Association (KNVB) shifted an entire 33rd match-week scheduled on 28th April to 15th May to provide the players with optimum time for training and recovery before their trip to London.
All the efforts signal favours the Ajax group, and Amsterdam could be the new European football capital in 2019.
