Ajax vs Manchester United Betting Pick | Europa League

Europa League

2012-02-16 - Ajax vs Manchester United

A Sports Betting Pick by Auls

Ajax v Manchester United
Football: European Europa League, Last 32 First Leg
Thursday 16 February 2012 - Kick Off 6pm
This game is live on TV

Ajax

Ajax have a proud European history having won 4 European Cups in their past, so there has to be a little disappointment that they are still not competing in the Champions League. They were outdone in that competition by Lyon thanks to the French side scoring 7 goals in their final away game at Dinamo Zagreb at the same time that Ajax were being beaten here by Real Madrid. The club are also in some turmoil with the board fighting one another and that has led to a tough season.

All the upheavals and problems in Amsterdam have left Ajax down in 6th place in the Eredivisie and they are 8 points off the top of the table. They have a 4-4-1 record at the Amsterdam Arena in the League, scoring 23 goals and conceding 11, but finished with a 1-1-1 record here in the Champions League having failed to score in games against Lyon and Real Madrid.

The team won 0-2 at the weekend, but that was their first win in 5 games having lost 3 of their last 4 in all competitions before that. That run included an embarrassing loss to rivals Feyenoord and they have also lost 3 of their last 4 games at home. Ajax only won 2 of their 6 Champions League games, failing to score in either game against Real Madrid and Lyon.

Frank de Boer has a few injury problems in his squad to contend with as the likes of Gregory van der Wiel, Andre Ooijer, Theo Janssen and Eyong Enoh are missing. A lot of United fans will be focusing on Christian Eriksen who has been linked with a move to Old Trafford in the Summer.

Manchester United

It is clear that all Manchester United fans would have preferred to be playing in the Champions League at this stage of the campaign, but I also think there is a little bit of excitement at the prospect of winning the one major title that has eluded their grasp in the history of the club. Sir Alex Ferguson has also admitted he will be playing strong line ups now that the teams fixture congestion has been eased after falling out of the FA Cup.

The Red Devils are 2nd in the Premier League and that will remain the priority for the season, but they do have a free weekend this week so we can expect a strong team to take to the field in Amsterdam. The group stage of the Champions League was a huge disappointment for United who failed to win 4 of their 6 games, although they only suffered the 1 defeat to Basel on Match Day 6.

United have only lost 1 of their last 7 games in all competitions and should have plenty of confidence from their last couple of performances that saw them earn a 3-3 draw with Chelsea and then beat Liverpool 2-1 at Old Trafford. The team have failed to win any of their last 2 away games in all competitions.

Patrice Evra, Ryan Giggs and Dimitar Berbatov have been left in Manchester, but a strong squad has got together and travelled across the Channel. Rio Ferdinand will start and will Captain the side in the absence of Evra and Sir Alex Ferguson has already admitted he will play his strongest line up now that the team has no more matches until next Thursday when they meet Ajax again.

Head to Head

Ajax and Manchester United have only ever met once in competitive games, that coming in a tie in the old UEFA Cup in the 1976/77 season.

Both clubs won their home games that year, with Ajax winning here 1-0 before falling 2-0 in Manchester.

That win for Ajax is the only one they have managed in 9 games at home against English opposition in their history.

Prediction

I think Manchester United will be very happy with the draw, not because it provides an 'easy' passage through to the last 16, but the fact that Ajax have a big enough history to make this game feel like it is as important as a Champions League game they were likely to receive at this stage.

It is also refreshing to hear Sir Alex Ferguson say that he will play a strong team in Amsterdam with the aim of gaining a good advantage before the return game at Old Trafford next Thursday. I think the likes of Wayne Rooney, Danny Welbeck, Rio Ferdinand and Paul Scholes will all be in the line up as United look to gain that advantage.

Ajax have been a club in turmoil this season as boardroom unrest has seen them under-perform on the field and fall off the pace in the Eredivisie. They have some talented players like Christian Eriksen, but injuries will also take their toll on this side.

The United price has been coming in ever since Sir Alex announced his intentions, but I do feel they are the most likely winners of the match, even here in Amsterdam.

I think it was fairly telling that Ajax failed to score in games against the better teams they faced in the group, and they actually failed to score in 3 of their previous 4 home games in the Champions League. That could be something United can take to heart as they had been very good defensively in that competition before this season.

I feel Ajax will want to keep things tight in this game and give themselves something to play for back at Old Trafford, but I think United are going to be a little too strong for that. If United can keep their shape from set-pieces, the 3.30 that they win with a clean sheet could look very good come 8pm.