Champions League
2010-11-23 - Ajax vs Real Madrid
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football : European Champions League
Tuesday 23 November 2010 - Kickoff 7:45pm
This game is live on TV
Ajax (3rd, 4 Points)
This game is the key one in the Champions League for Ajax this season if they wish to progress through to the last 16. A defeat at Auxerre last time out has left them in 3rd place in the Group, 1 point behind AC Milan and 1 point ahead of Auxerre. This is their last game at home in the Group and Ajax will then be faced with a trip to Milan to try and secure safe passage.
Ajax are 4th in Holland at the moment, and find themselves 6 points behind the leaders PSV. They have a 5-1-2 record at home domestically, scoring 16 goals and conceding just 6. In Europe, Ajax have won 2 of their 3 home matches while drawing the other.
Martin Jol's team has been struggling for form of late, winning 1 of their last 5 games in all competitions and losing 3 of those games. They have failed to score in 3 of their last 4 games, their goals coming in the Dutch Cup against a side in the lower Leagues.
Urby Emanuelson is a doubt after suffering an injury at the weekend but Florian Jozefzoon is out. Luis Suarez is available despite his sending off at the weekend.
Real Madrid (1st, 10 Points)
Real Madrid have a chance to wrap up top spot in the Group here after securing a point in their last game at Milan on Match Day 4. With 10 points already gained, Real need 1 more to secure top spot and an 'easier' game in the round of 16 in February.
Jose Mourinho has guided his team to the top of La Liga, leading the way by 1 point over rivals Barcelona and he is still unbeaten as manager. Real are 4-2-0 away from home, scoring 10 goals and conceding 3. In Europe, Real have won at Auxerre and secured a late draw at Milan to extend their run to 1 defeat in 6 European away games.
The win over Athletic Bilbao at the Bernebeau at the weekend means Real have recorded 4 wins in a row since the draw with AC Milan. The side have won 4 of their last 6 away games in all competitions, their most recent success coming with a 0-1 win at Sporting Gijon 10 days ago.
Ricardo Carvalho, Samir Khedira and Gonzalo Higuain have all been ruled out with knocks and the amount of playing time they have had this season. Lassana Diarra has recently recovered from an injury to make appearances off the bench and could start here.
Head to Head
Real Madrid beat Ajax earlier this season 2-0 at the Bernebeau to get their Group campaign off to a good start.
Ajax have had a good history against Real Madrid, winning 4 and losing 1 in 7 encounters previously. Ajax have won 2 and drawn 1 against Madrid at home, although the last encounter was in the 1995-96 season when Ajax were the reigning European Champions.
Prediction
There is a slight concern that Real Madrid will be focusing on the big game with Barcelona coming up, but with 6 days before that game, I cannot imagine Jose Mourinho will be resting too many more players than the ones he named.
Ajax have been struggling of late for goals, and that will be a problem when coming up against the attacking talents this Real Madrid side possess.
It seems this is the kind of game where Jose Mourinho really earns his stripes, ensuring his team puts in a professional performance to ensure progress with as little fuss as possible. I will pick Real Madrid to win this game at the odds quoted, but remember a point will suffice for them to top the group. This means it is unlikely that they will be pushing men forward without concern if this game is 0-0 with 20 minutes left.
However, Real are playing well so I will take my chances they secure a close win to go through.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Ajax 1-2 Real Madrid
BEST BETTING TIP :
I'll take a punt on Real Madrid to WIN
