Champions League: 3 reasons why Ajax could cause another upset against Juventus

Modified Apr 10, 2019 10:35 GMT

Real Madrid v Ajax - UEFA Champions League Round of 16: Second Leg

UEFA Champions League returned last night with the four Quarter Finalists battling their respective opponents for progressing through to the semi-finals of club football's most prestigious tournament. The other four teams will similarly battle in the first leg as Ajax hosts Juventus while Manchester United host Barcelona.

While Ajax and Juventus is arguably not the most anticipated tie tonight, there should be no doubt about the quality of the football with the Bianconeri being the hot favorites to win the tie. Obviously, Cristiano Ronaldo's return from injury is a huge boost for the Old Lady and Ajax's star would like to perform the same way they did against Real Madrid.

Ajax and Juventus will be facing for the ninth time in the prestigious tournament and the Old Lady are unbeaten in each of their last nine European matches against the Dutch side. Ajax will face an uphill battle against the Bianconeri as the quarter-final clash will be the biggest test for the players in the current Dutch side.

Both these teams lead their respective leagues but Juventus are way ahead in the Serie A. Ajax would take great heart from the fact that they already knocked out Real Madrid - the winners of the Champions League in the last three years, which helped them qualify for the Quarter Finals for the first time since the 2002/03 season.

Without further ado, let us evaluate how Ajax could cause another massive upset by defeating Juventus.

#3 Fearless football and self-belief

The current Ajax side are bold and fearless as they have demonstrated throughout the season. They are the youngest side in the tournament and showed little fear while going against the toughest of teams in the tournament. Under the tutelage of Erik ten Hag, the Dutch side has shown confidence and composure with the ball.

Ajax's style of play combines freedom with a fluidity which helps the club stick to its age old philosophy. All of their stars are performing brilliantly and don't let their heads drop, as was evident with their 3-3 draw against Bayern Munich in the group stages. Ajax are not afraid to take the fight to their opponents and have done just that throughout the season.

The self belief in the team is commendable, especially when they are dominating large phases of the match with their caliber.

#2 Been there, done that

Barring the fact that Ajax remains the only team to knock out Real Madrid since Juventus, teams like Bayern Munich and Benfica failed to get better them as was evident from the group stages. The manner in which they knocked out Real Madrid, coming back from a loss in their home leg to score four goals at the Santiago Bernabeu shows the quality in the current team.

It goes without saying that the young Ajax side will be on the pitch with less pressure as Juventus has more to lose, which will benefit the Dutch side. If the approach of Ajax remains the same, the Bianconeri will be on the defensive from the first minute of the game, which can lead to the Dutch side entering a familiar circumstance.

Ajax had pulled off positive results when no one gave them a chance and there is no reason to believe they cannot pull off another miraculous result against Juventus led by Cristiano Ronaldo.

#1 Quality and presence of world-class talents

There is no shortage of talents in the current Ajax side. Most of their starlets have garnered wide attention from top clubs across Europe and for a good reason. Frenkie de Jong will already be on his way to Barcelona this summer and it seems unlikely that Ajax will hold on to their captain, Matthijs De Ligt.

Despite these two stars being the center of attraction, the Ajax team is not built on just these two stars. The presence of Hakim Ziyech and Dusan Tadic on the flanks will help the Dutch side bombard opponent's rearguard with waves of attacks led by veteran striker Klaas Jan-Huntelaar. De Jong is obviously at the center, pulling strings with his intelligence, immaculate touches, and vision.

The defense comprises of talents like Daley Blind, De Ligt, Nicolas Tagliafico among others. While the two full backs continuously overlap to support the two wingers, they are also good at tracking back and holding their ground.

There is no doubt about the fact that the current Ajax team has some world-class talents, who are demonstrating their potential with some great performances. If they can justify their caliber once again, they could pull off another upset in the Champions League.

Edited by Zaid Khan