Augsburg vs Ajax

WWK Arena forms the backdrop for an exciting summer friendly between Augsburg and Ajax.

Augsburg enjoyed a dream start to their pre-season campaign, winning two of their opening three summer friendlies by 6+ goals ‘to nil’ (D1) before slumping to a 2-1 defeat to Dutch heavyweights PSV Eindhoven last time out. Another disappointing result could be in store as the ‘Fuggerstädter’ lost their only previous meeting with Ajax, going down 1-0 in an exhibition match in 2020. What’s more, Enrico Maaßen’s men are winless in their last five games against top-tier rivals (D1, L4), netting under 1.5 goals on four occasions. It gets worse, considering Augsburg conceded at least twice in all but a 1-1 friendly draw against Besiktas in mid-July.

On the other hand, Ajax have blown hot and cold across their first four pre-season friendlies (W2, D1, L1), though they thrashed lower-league German outfit Unterchaching 5-3 in the build-up to this fixture. Despite their problems with inconsistent performances, the ‘Lancers’ have been a pleasure to watch, as all those four games featured over 2.5 goals at an average of 4.5 per match. However, manager Maurice Steijn may not necessarily be pleased with recent results, especially after his men conceded precisely three goals in back-to-back outings. That’s not to mention they fell behind within the first 12 minutes both times.