An out-of-form Ajax outfit will endeavour to reignite their Eredivisie title hopes when they welcome relegation-threatened FC Volendam to the Amsterdam ArenA on Thursday night.
A nine-goal thriller was played out the last time that these two sides met in a friendly during the mid-season break last month, with Ajax coming out on top 5-4 on home soil.
Match preview
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Not since October 22 have Ajax claimed maximum points in an Eredivisie fixture, as they have endured a surprising six-game winless run, with a 2-1 home defeat to PSV Eindhoven in November followed by five successive draws.
Vitesse, Emmen, NEC, FC Twente and Feyenoord have all taken solitary points from the 36-time top-flight champions, with a 1-1 draw against the latter played out on Sunday after a 71st-minute equaliser from Davy Klaassen cancelled out a first-half strike from Igor Paixao.
The pressure is beginning to mount on head coach Alfred Schreuder, who now sees his side sitting in unfamiliar territory outside the top three, placed in fifth spot and five points behind Feyenoord at the summit.
Fortunately for Ajax, they are only at the halfway point in the season and there are still 17 league games remaining, including Thursday's favourable encounter against Volendam.
Ajax have won each of their last eight Eredivisie meetings with Volendam, including a 4-2 away victory in October of this season, so they will be hoping for more joy against Thursday's opponents when they meet in Amsterdam.
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After losing six straight games prior to the World Cup break, Volendam have since won two of their first four matches in 2023 to give their supporters hope of maintaining their top-flight status.
However, the Red-Blacks do head into Thursday's contest off the back of a 2-0 away defeat against Excelsior last Friday, with an 18th-minute own goal from Damon Mirani followed by a late strike from Marouan Azarkan.
Wim Jonk's men remain in the Eredivisie relegation zone, level on points with both Emmen and Groningen – the latter of whom sit just outside of the bottom three on goal difference and face Volendam on Sunday.
The Red-Blacks will feel that they are facing Ajax at a good time on Thursday considering their dip in form, but keeping the league's top scorers quiet could prove challenging as they have conceded a league-high 42 goals in just 17 matches so far this term, keeping only two clean sheets in the process.
Volendam's last victory against Ajax came in November 2008 when they secured a narrow 1-0 home win after extra time in the KNVB Beker, while their last top-flight win over the Dutch giants was by the same scoreline back in April 1994.
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Team News
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Ajax quartet Youri Baas, Florian Grillitsch, Jay Gorter and Ahmetcan Kaplan are all unavailable for selection as they continue to recover from injury.
However, the hosts are able to welcome back Devyne Rensch from suspension and the right-back could be handed a start at the expense of Jorge Sanchez.
Captain Dusan Tadic – who has contributed to 13 goals in 17 league games this season (three goals and 10 assists) – is expected to operate in the front three along with Brian Brobbey and Steven Bergwijn.
As for Volendam, their only injury concern is with attacker Francesco Antonucci, who has not played since August due to an unspecified problem and he is unlikely to feature on Thursday.
Jonk is unlikely to make too many changes, if any, to his starting lineup, with the likes of Damon Mirani, Carel Eiting, Gaetano Oristanio and Robert Muhren all set to retain their places.
Ajax possible starting lineup:
Rulli; Rensch, Timber, Bassey, Wijndal; Berghuis, Alvarez, Klaassen; Bergwijn, Brobbery, Tadic
FC Volendam possible starting lineup:
Stankovic; Mbuyamba, Benamar, Mirani; Buur, Eiting, Da Silva, Murkin; B. Ould-Chikh, Oristanio; Muhren
We say: Ajax 3-1 FC Volendam
Ajax will view Thursday's fixture as a great opportunity to return to winning ways and they should be regarded as firm favourites to claim maximum points.
Volendam caused problems for Ajax in the reverse fixture earlier this season, but they ultimately ended up on the losing side and we expect the same outcome at the Amsterdam ArenA.
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