Ajax vs Union Berlin

An exciting first-leg fixture of a Europa League knockout playoff tie pits Ajax and Union Berlin against each other at the Johan Cruijff Arena.

Ajax parachuted into the Europa League knockouts following a third-place finish in Champions League Group A behind Napoli and Liverpool, who have defeated them in their last two home outings in Europe’s elite competition. Another defeat would see the ‘Lancers’ lose three consecutive home matches in European football in a single campaign for the first time in the club’s history. Worryingly, both those losses yielded a 3+ goal margin, highlighting the pressure on the reigning Eredivisie champions to bounce back in front of the home crowd. However, Ajax’s ongoing unbeaten four-game European record against German opposition (W2, D2) can fill John Heitinga’s side with confidence, as should an eye-catching four-match winning streak in domestic competitions. Indeed, they’ve gone unbeaten in all three home outings since the season resumed after the World Cup (W1, D2).

As for Union Berlin, a runner-up finish in Europa League Group D behind Belgian outfit Union SG Royale (W4, L2) fired the Bundesliga high-flyers into their first-ever knockout-stage appearance of a major European competition. Interestingly, each of Union Berlin’s six Europa League fixtures this season has yielded an identical 1-0 scoreline, including four straight victories down the final stretch of the group phase. Another similar success would see ‘Die Eisernen’ become only the second side in history to win five consecutive European matches 1-0 since Juventus in 2004/05. If you’re a fan of omens, Juve’s last win in that run came at the expense of non-other than Ajax! Urs Fischer’s men have gone from strength to strength in 2023, winning all six competitive games since the turn of the year, including a come-from-behind 2-1 league triumph at RB Leipzig last weekend.