Ajax vs Roma – Preview
The quarterfinals of the UEFA Europa League are upon us, with one of the most thrilling last eight showdowns being Ajax's clash with Roma. The Johan Cruijff Arena is the venue for Thursday's affair, kicking off at 3 p.m., as the Dutch side look to take advantage of the home advantage in order to march to a first leg advantage.
The Eredivisie giants have embarked on their ninth Europa League campaign due to a disappointing group stage spell in the UEFA Champions League. Tadic and Co. were grouped with the likes of Liverpool, Atalanta, and Midtjylland, finishing in third behind their Premier League and Italian rivals. As a result, they were demoted to UEFA's second-tier club competition and are now eyeing a repeat of the 2017 campaign in which they went all the way to the final.
The Dutch outfit lost that game 1-0 to Man United, meaning an improvement would be needed, but first up is their clash with Roma. Ten Hag's side made light work of the knockout stage so far, beating Ligue 1 leaders Lille 2-1 both home and away for a 4-2 aggregate triumph in the round of 36 before brushing aside Young Boys 5-0 in the last 16.
Furthermore, the stats point to an Ajax triump – in the first leg, at the very least. The Dutch giants have won each of their last 11 home ties in this tournament and are unbeaten in 15 matches on home soil. Form also favors the host, with the Eredivisie heavyweights winning their last seven outings in a row and going 24 consecutive matches without a loss.
Unfortunately for them, Roma are no pushovers. The Italians won their group with little to no opposition before dispatching Sporting Braga and Shakhtar Donetsk with ease in order to make the last eight. Domestically, things have not been going great for the Serie A outfit as Dzeko and Co. are in the midst of a three-game winless run.
The Giallorossi have picked up only two triumphs from their last seven Italian top-flight outings and have, as a result, dropped to seventh in the table. A top-four finish is under heavy doubt given the heated race to qualify for the Champions League. Due to this, success in the Europa League might be Roma's only route into the UCL. In order to do that, they must first overcome Ajax, starting with this Thursday's 90-minute battle.
Team news
Ajax: Stephan El Shaarawy is out due to a thigh injury. Marash Kumbulla is also out due to injury. Elsewhere, Nicolo Zaniolo and Henrikh Mkhitaryan are also sidelined while this tie comes too soon for Fordan Veretout.
Roma: Maarten Stekelenburg is nursing a knee injury. Noussair Mazraoui is yet to return for the Dutch side while Daley Blind, Perr Schuurs, and Sean Klaiber are unavailable for selection.
Key stats
-
These two sides have met only once in the second group stage of the 2002/03 UEFA Champions League. Ajax won the home tie 2-1 before drawing 1-1 on the road.
-
The Dutch side have lost only once in their last eight showdowns with Italian clubs.
-
The Eredivisie champions have lost 17 times while winning only 13 times overall against Italian opposition.
-
Victory over Roma would see Ajax register a record-equaling 11th straight home win in the UEL.
Broadcast listings
Match details, result and original broadcast info
This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.
Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
