CHAMPIONS LEAGUE BETTING PICK - REAL MADRID V AJAX

Champions League

2010-09-15 - Real Madrid vs Ajax

A Sports Betting Pick by Addicted

REAL MADRID v AJAX
Football : UEFA Champions League : Group G
Wednesday, September 15th 2010 - Start 7:45PM GMT

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The mighty Real Madrid have not reigned as champions of Europe in it’s current format since sometime around Easter of 2002. But not to worry, he has risen, and he’s come to save Los Galacticos.

Real Madrid

Real Madrid have had a truly torturous time in the Champions League since they lifted the trophy in 2002. Over the last 6 years, they have not once made it past the round of 16. They have thrown vulgar amounts of money into the coffers of other clubs, securing the likes of David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Benzema and Jonathan Woodgate. But alas, it has reaped them no returns.

And so we come to today, where the team will be led out by their new saviour, one Jose "The Special One" Mourinho. The annoyingly smug new manager at the most prestigious club in the world has good reason for his attitude. In his young career, he has led the roundly unfancied FC Porto to a Champions League crown, and then did it again last year with Inter Milan, before walking off into the sunset. Managing a very ambitious club, with money to spend and total control to give to him, Mourinho is now in the enviable position of becoming the first manager to lead three different clubs to the Champions League Trophy.

The powers that be at Real Madrid are desperate to get back their lofty status, but they have a lot to do to achieve that. For starters, they have to dispose of Barcelona as La Liga champions on the domestic front. While the fans might want this, make no mistake about one thing: Mourinho has come here first and foremost to win the Champions League with a record third team. I state this only to underline the fact that the Champions League games played by Real Madrid, under the stewardship of J-Mo, will be deemed the most important in their season. The La Liga title would be gravy.

Real will come into this match on the back of a 1-0 win at the Bernabeu over Osasuna. Ricardo Carvalho, one of Mourinho's "boys", scored the goal and you can expect to see him line up against Ajax this Wednesday too. Fellow countryman and rival in the "most annoying" stakes, Ronaldo is fit again and will also take part. Last year Madrid didn’t progress far, and so he did not get to play many games, yet top scored in the tournament. a bet on him to net here would be far from crazy.
 

Ajax

Visiting the Bernabeu will be Ajax who, despite being absent from this tournament for 5 years, are still the most successful Dutch side in the tournament, with four European titles to their names.

While Jose chews gum in his dugout, the Ajax side will see ex-Tottenham gaffer Martin Jol patrol the sidelines. The Dutch manager has never before been in charge of a team contesting a Champions League match, and it has to be said, when the competition is Jose Mourinho, you’re already starting with a disadvantage.

It’s been 5 years since Ajax last played a game like this, which might not seem long, but let's put it this way: None of the players, nor the manager of this Ajax outfit, has ever played a game in the Champions League. There, guessing now you're catching my drift. Four European titles don’t mean diddly squat, as it is part of their history. These inexperienced players need to go fight a battle they have no experience in, and I don't fancy their chances, not on the back of the displays they put on in the qualifying stages.

The name Luis Suarez will jump out at you when you scour the teamsheet. The Uruguayan striker was in the news for most of the World Cup this year, as he scored three great goals in helping his team to the semi-finals of the tournament, but mostly for his deliberate handball against Ghana in injury time, to deny the plucky Africans their deserved win. He netted 49 times last season, which is more than the 48 games he did it in, and it’s safe to say Mourinho will be aware of the danger posed by him and will have his players nullify his threat as only Jose knows how to do. Look for Van Der Wiel and Stekelenburg to provide him with any chances he might have.

Ajax have won their last 4 games against Real Madrid, but again, that happened in another time, and does not matter here. Forget the tag "European powerhouse", this is a side that has enough trouble on the domestic front back in the Netherlands. The Ajax team and their manager are inexperienced, and while I don't doubt they will play their hearts out, this is surely too much for them to do away on Spanish soil.

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