PREVIOUS MEETINGS:
EUROPA LEAGUE ROUND OF 32 : AJAX 1-2 JUVENTUS (18.02.2010)
EUROPA LEAGUE ROUND OF 32 : JUVENTUS 0-0 AJAX (25.02.2010)
FORM, PREVIOUS 5 RESULTS :
AJAX : 4 WINS, 0 DRAW, 1 DEFEAT
JUVENTUS : 4 WINS, 0 DRAW, 1 DEFEAT
MOST RECENT RESULT :
JUVENTUS 2-1 MILAN
WILLEM II 1-4 AJAX
So, Juventus have arrived at the quarter final stage of the UEFA Champions League, drawn against the surprise package of the tournament and a repeat of the 1996 Champions League final, Ajax. Unlike the old lady's opponent in the previous round Ajax are not the physical, in your face defensive unit that Atletico Madrid are, instead they are pretty much the opposite with their slick passing and defence splitting attacks. To say that Ajax eliminating Real Madrid in the round of 16 was a surprise would not be true, what is a surprise however was the manner that the Dutch side did it, unfortunate to lose the home leg 2-1 few would have given Ajax much hope of over turning the defeat (just ask Sergio Ramos who picked up a deliberate booking to sit out the 2nd leg) but that's exactly what Ajax did, defeating the current holders 4-1 in their own back yard. Its those two results that should give Juventus confidence of winning this tie, and at the same time cause for concern if they take a youthful Ajax side too likely.
THE CONCERN :
Throughout the first leg at home, Ajax created 19 goal scoring opportunities but would only hit the target 7 times, and despite creating more chances than Real Madrid they somehow lost the game 2-1. Had Ajax been more clinical in front of goal Real Madrid would have been taking a very different scoreline back to Spain, and this is the concern for Juventus. Ajax are a side that play with little to no fear, holding Bayern Munich to a stalemate twice in the group stage, whilst also having the potential to score several times once Ajax hit their stride. What is important is that Juventus contain the threat of Ajax's quick passing attack, which wont be made any easier with the absence of Chiellini who misses out due to injury. Whoever plays in the heart of the old lady's defence will need to be on top of their game, and given that Bonucci is a guaranteed starter he must defend better than he has shown over the season, and preferably not pass the ball to the opposition like he did for Milan's opening goal during the previous fixture. To emphasis how tough this challenge really is for Juventus il give you a quick statistic about Ajax, so far in their champions league campaign they have only lost one game over 14 fixtures (Ajax played 3 ties to qualify for the group stage) their record reads as follows
8 WINS
5 DRAWS
1 DEFEATS
Ajax have also scored 16 goals since the group stage began, that's 16 goals over 8 games.Take Ajax lightly or show up with the intention to defend throughout the night, and Juventus could be in trouble, big trouble.
CRISTIANO RONALDO:
The man of the moment, Mr champions league himself is back in the squad after suffering an injury whilst on international duties with Portugal. Over two weeks later CR7 is back, but the question is, in what condition? What is not known is whether or not Juventus star player will be in the starting 11 or the substitutes bench. Juventus signed Ronaldo specifically for nights like this in the Champions League but if Ronaldo is not 100% recovered then it would be unwise to risk another potentially more serious injury that would rule out Ronaldo for even longer, especially if one of those games is a Champions League semi final. Given that Juventus have Mandzukic, Dybala and an in form Moise Kean, Juventus are not lacking in attacking options. Yes, Ronaldo is the best of the bunch and scoring a hat trick to get Juventus here in the first place showed that. But risk injuring your star player when it isn't necessary? Unwise.
DUSAN TADIC :
Not familiar with the name? That's ok, but here's a reason why you should be weary at the sight of Tadic taking on the Juventus defence. Currently Tadic is the 3rd highest goal scorer in the champions league this season with 6 goals (4 coming in the group stage), Tadic also has 20 goals to his name in the Eredivisie. The man is scoring goals, and is more than capable of continuing this trend against Juventus, especially with a likely partnership of Bonucci & Rugani.
FIRST LEG BLUES :
In the previous 3 knock out ties Juventus have failed to win the first leg on all 3 occasions. Throwing a 2-0 lead away against Tottenham to draw 2-2, and losing 3-0 against Real Madrid last season, both at home. In the current season the trend continues, losing the first leg of their tie against Atletico Madrid 2-0. If Juventus are to progress then they must not continue this trend with poor first leg performances/results, Ronaldo cant be expected to keep Juventus European dreams alive with another hat trick when their backs are up against the wall.
NO FEAR:
With an average age of 24 Ajax are a youthful side that plays without fear, no matter the opponent. They had little to lose and all to gain once qualification for the knock out stage was obtained, the first time the Dutch club have achieved this in 13 years. Ajax manager Erik ten Hag more or less displayed this sense of no fear when talking about the tie, "Juve are an experienced team and they can put different strategies into play. It will be another big obstacle to overcome after Bayern and Real Madrid." The moral of the story being, we've faced big obstacles before, and we've overcame them both.
WHAT TO EXPECT :
A tough night, a few heart in mouth moments and hopefully for Ajax to fire a couple of blanks in front of goal. Missing Chiellini is a massive blow, even at 34 years old Chiellini is not only Juventus best defender, he's one of their most important players. The number one goal for Juventus should be to leave the Johan Cruijff ArenA with an away goal, most likely from a counter attack with the way that Ajax play their football. Juventus were fortunate to eliminate Atletico without the need of an away goal but to do the same against Ajax would be asking alot. Ajax wont travel to Turin with the intention of sitting back & defending a lead the way that Atletico did, instead they will attack and look to score, which is something Juventus should look to do in tonight's first leg as the best form of defence, is a strong offence.
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