Ajax vs AEK Athens FC prediction: EUROPE: Europa League – Group Stage betting tips on match 2023-12-13 20:00.
Four-time champions of Europe Ajax find themselves on the brink of being dumped out of continental competition altogether this campaign. Progression from Group B in the UEFA Europa League (UEL) is already out of the question after they failed to win any of their first five matches (D2, L3), but the Dutch giants can still drop into the Europa Conference League play-off round with victory over Greek opposition AEK Athens on matchday six.
Interim boss John van ‘t Schip has righted the ship since his arrival somewhat, losing just two of his nine matches at the helm (W6, D1). Both of those defeats came in the UEL however, including a rollercoaster 4-3 defeat to Marseille last time out that saw Ajax equalise three times, yet still go on to lose. Such flakiness is unlikely to instil much confidence in the home supporters then, especially given that they’ve lost five of their last eight European home games (W1, D2).
AEK Athens are also unable to progress in the UEL this time around, but they hold the advantage in terms of heading into this final matchday sat in third place as they merely need to avoid defeat in Amsterdam to extend their European campaign into 2024. History stands firmly against the Double-Headed Eagles’ chances of doing so though, as they’ve lost all of their prior five away meetings with Dutch opposition.
Despite that, a solid recent record in UEFA competitions on the road (W8, D5, L8) should ensure the Greek outfit are at least slightly confident as they head to the Johan Cruyff Arena for this all-important clash. Tipping the balance in favour of that win column will be the ultimate aim for AEK, but simply repeating the 1-1 draw they managed in the reverse fixture would be enough to send them home happy.
Players to watch: Ajax’s Steven Bergwijn has scored from the penalty spot before half-time in successive matches, just as he did in the reverse fixture. AEK’s Domagoj Vida was also on target that day, part of a four-goal seasonal haul that includes the winner against Aris Saloniki in his side’s most recent league fixture.
Hot streak: Ajax are unbeaten in their last 12 H2Hs against Greek opposition (W7, D5).