Europa League, league phase, Thursday, 24.10.2024 at 18:45
Will it finally be another season full of happiness for Ajax Amsterdam? The Dutch side also want to make a name for themselves in our Europa League tips, so a win on Thursday would be a must.
The bookmakers are painting a very close picture. Why could that be the case and why am I backing more than 2.5 goals here? I’ll tell you in my Qarabag Ajax Amsterdam betting tip!
Tough seasons lie behind the fans of Ajax Amsterdam. Seasons in which they looked enviously at Eindhoven and Rotterdam and had to ask themselves: What exactly is going so much better there?
2024/25 should be the season in which things finally start to pick up again, in all competitions. The team took a long breath and qualified for the Europa League against Vojvodina, Panathinaikos Athens and Jagiellonia.
The team kicked off with a home game against Besiktas. Not an easy opponent by any means, they thought, but the result spoke for itself in the end. 4:0! A strong performance that brought them their first three points.
So how satisfied was Ajax that they only managed a 1:1 draw against Slavia Prague a little later? A penalty to take the lead did not last, and the favorites had actually expected more from the game
Three points are actually a must against Qarabag and Maccabi Tel Aviv, the next two opponents. Real Sociedad, Lazio Roma and Galatasaray are still waiting, and they are guaranteed to be tough opponents.
So it’s a good thing that Amsterdam aren’t in a bad position nationally either. Although I would also like to point out: five wins, one draw and one defeat? Without any top clubs among the opponents so far, that’s the absolute minimum yield
A few days ago, they won 4:3 against Heracles Amelo. In the end, it was a late penalty from Wout Weghorst that secured the narrow victory; Ajax would probably have won 4-0 against such teams a few years ago.
After all, and this applies equally to all competitions, the Whites have won all their home games with the exception of Panathinaikos. Nice, but now it’s time to face Qarabag away from home:
They have already failed to win two games here in the league, and the 1-1 draw against Slavia Prague in the Europa League also took place away from home. Ajax are now facing a new opponent anyway, as they have never met Qarabag before.
It is interesting to note that the odds you can pick up from our tax-free bookmakers are not that clear. An average of 2.20 falls on Ajax, and just under 3.00 on the home side.
Qarabg Agdam reached an international knockout stage for the first time last season, but were eliminated in the round of 16 of the Europa League by Bayer Leverkusen, the eventual finalists.
The team didn’t have to worry, however, because they led 2:0 twice and everything looked as if they would progress. Until Bayer struck THREE times in injury time!
Word of the team’s quality got around. It’s just a shame that it can’t be brought onto the pitch at the start of the current season. On the very first matchday, they lost 3-0 to Tottenham
They were actually on a par, but their opponents were far too ripped off. Unfortunately, Qarabag were also unable to take anything from their 2-1 defeat to Malmö, where they only managed a single shot on goal.
The club, which lost out to Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League play-offs, cannot be satisfied with conceding five goals, but even the one measly goal is anything but pleasing.
Although they have won eight out of nine games in the domestic league, it is clear to everyone that teams like Sabah FK, Zira or Sabail are not at the level of Ajax Amsterdam.
How confident will Ajax Amsterdam be on Thursday? Admittedly, the Dutch look a little more settled than in the last two years, but they are still far from perfect.
The defense can always slip up unexpectedly, as it did recently in a 4:3 win in the Eredivisie. Qarabag are still without points, and hardly anyone understands why this team was able to score four times against Leverkusen a few months ago.
But they have already conceded five goals. For all these reasons, I can well imagine that the match against Ajax will be anything but boring. My tip is therefore:
The 2.5 goals will be cracked!
