Who will come out on top in the Fortuna Arena?
Slavia Prague will face Ajax Amsterdam in the home Fortuna Arena on the second matchday of the new Europa League league phase. Both teams are currently in very strong form, with the home side’s defense currently one of the best in Europe. With only one goal conceded in nine league games and a clean sheet in the Europa League so far, Slavia should be bursting with confidence in front of their own fans. Can Francesco Farioli’s men, who are also in good form in the Czech Republic, defend themselves and steal points from the capital? In our Slavia Prague v Ajax Amsterdam betting tip, we tend towards a close encounter with a better end for the home side.
The men from Amsterdam can expect an extremely difficult away game in Prague, in which the Dutch could quickly fall behind despite their good form. Slavia Prague are currently showing no weaknesses, neither in offense nor in defense. Ajax must travel to Slavia with a precise plan that they must not deviate from at any time, as we believe that otherwise a point win would not be possible at the moment. Are the bookmakers right with their Slavia Prague vs. Ajax Amsterdam prediction and the hosts send the Dutch back home without points?
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Slavia Prague – Statistics & current form
Slavia Prague are currently in exceptional form. Jindřich Trpišovský’s team have won nine of their last ten matches (all competitions) and have scored 20 goals with their powerful offense. In contrast, they have only conceded three goals in this time, which proves their defensive stability.
They are currently dominating the league and are in first place with a goal difference of 20:1, but only a three-point lead (25 points) over their other city rivals Sparta Prague (22 points) after their confident victories against Bohemians Prague (0:4) in the derby and Viktoria Pilsen (3:0). In their first Europa League game of the season, they also won 2-0 against Ludogorez Rasgrad, putting them in third place in the upper third of the table after the first matchday of the league phase.
With an expected goals value of 2.44 goals per game on average, the capital city team can create many opportunities from open play and set pieces. Likewise, the efficiency of 31% of big chances used makes it easier for the Prague team to get the games on their side. Unsurprisingly, the bookmakers therefore expect a close game, with slight home advantage for the men of Jindřich Trpišovský. Our Slavia Prague vs Ajax Amsterdam prediction tends in the same direction, although the guests from Amsterdam are also in very good shape.
In Prague, the defense supports the offense
With 87% of his duels won, Tomas Holes is the key player in the capital city’s back four. He is unlikely to need his strength in aerial duels against Ajax, but he will certainly need his quick reaction time. The Amsterdam strikers, Akpom and Traore, bring a lot of speed to the pitch. If there is no sudden drop in performance on Thursday evening, the chances of the hosts winning a point in front of their own fans are very good. Therefore, the odds for a home win & over 2.5 goals could be offered by the bookmakers at a high value for Slavia Prague vs. Ajax Amsterdam.
Ajax Amsterdam – Statistics & current form
Ajax Amsterdam, under the direction of Francesco Farioli, have shown impressive performances in recent weeks, recording four wins and one draw in their last five matches in all competitions. Particularly noteworthy is the 4-0 home win against Beşiktaş Istanbul on matchday 1 in the Europa League group stage, as well as their league appearances against RKC Waalwijk (0-2) and Fortuna Sitard (5-0), in which they demonstrated their offensive strength and current defensive stability. Especially in the league, things are going in the right direction again under the new management. After Amsterdam was prophesied a Schalke fate last year when they briefly found themselves in 16th place in the table, the fans can celebrate the current performances even more under these circumstances.
Farioli: We have to stop Slavia’s offense
Although Amsterdam can score 1.81 goals per game on average, the tactic away in Prague will probably be based more on a stable defense. This is not least because the hosts dominate every opponent and so far no one has found a remedy for the incredibly strong Czech offense. With only 0.89 goals conceded per game, Amsterdam is very stable at the back, especially compared to last season. However, their back four has not been tested by such quality so far, so it remains to be seen how solid the defense will be in Prague.
Slavia Prague – Ajax Amsterdam Head to head / H2H record
The last time the two teams met was in 2008 in a 2-2 draw. This will be the first meeting of the two teams in the Europa League. Accordingly, the winner of the game will take the lead in the H2H statistics.
Slavia Prague – Ajax Amsterdam Tip
Both Slavia Prague and Ajax Amsterdam come into this encounter with confidence. If the capital city team from Prague lives up to their role as slight favorites and confirms the bookmakers’ prediction, they will already have six points after two games in the league phase. We expect the visitors to score a goal, but we still tend to favor a home win for Slavia in front of their own fans. In our opinion, there is no question that both teams will score a goal, which is why we are betting on both teams to score in our Slavia Prague vs. Ajax Amsterdam tip, with a top betting rate of 1.72.
