Ajax vs Aston Villa prediction: EUROPE: Europa Conference League – Play Offs betting tips on match 2024-03-06 17:45.
In the short history of the UEFA Europa Conference League (UECL), seldom has it thrown up a tie as mouth-watering as this clash between a pair of former European champions in Ajax and Aston Villa. Four-time kings of the continent, Ajax came through a gruelling play-off tie against BodĂž/Glimt to reach the Round of 16 stage, but a run of just two wins across their last seven competitive matches (D3, L2) shows that they still remain as a shadow of their former selves.
Both of those victories have come in their last three outings at least (L1), so perhaps John van ât Schipâs side can head into this tough tie with confidence, even if they have a series of bad omens to banish. Thatâs because Ajax have lost each of their last five home matches against English opposition, failing to score in each of the last four, while just two of their last ten European encounters at the Johan Cruyff Arena have ended in victory (D3, L5)!
Those are records that Aston Villa will be keen to take advantage of, and as the Unai Emery revolution rolls into Amsterdam, a run of three successive Premier League victories will have the travelling contingent in great spirits. Theyâve already seen their side win on Dutch soil this term when they beat AZ Alkmaar 4-1 in the UECL group stage, maintaining their 100% winning record against teams from the Netherlands (W3).
That victory makes up part of an impressive 12-goal haul in the Villansâ four previous European away matches this season and Emeryâs outfit also find themselves unbeaten in six on their travels across all competitions (W4, D2). Their recent leaky defence could be cause for concern however, as theyâve now conceded ten times in their last five competitive matches!
Players to watch: Ajaxâs Kenneth Taylor has hit goalscoring form lately, following up his late winner against BodĂž by netting in the victory over Utrecht at the weekend. His exploits are no match for Villaâs Ollie Watkins, who has scored five times in his last three games, and has directly contributed to 31 goals in all competitions this season (G21, A10) – only Erling Haaland has more among Premier League players!
Hot stat: After a run of 15 Ajax matches that saw both sides score on the day, each of their last two games have ended 2-0 to the hosts (W1, L1).