Does Ajax defend their league lead?
With a lot of tailwind, Ajax Amsterdam head into the second matchday of the preliminary round of the 2021/22 Champions League. The Godenzones lead the Dutch Eredivisie with 19 points out of 21 with an unreal goal difference of 30:1. They also disenchanted Portuguese champions Sporting Lisbon 5:1 away from home on the very first matchday of the top flight.
Now the next national champions in Group C are Besiktas Istanbul, who are keen to defend their top spot in the table with a home win. In the run-up to the match between Ajax Amsterdam and Besiktas, the odds are clearly in favour of the Dutch side.
The Turks lost 2-1 against Borussia Dortmund on the first matchday and subsequently got into trouble in the Süper Lig as well. Sergen Yalcin’s men only picked up one point out of a possible six, which is why there is no alternative to betting on a home win for Ajax Amsterdam against Besiktas.
The crucial question is therefore which betting option offers the best value. In view of the fact that the Godenzonen have always been on fire lately and have usually already led at the break, we think the half-time final score bet (1/1) is the most effective.
Netherlands Ajax Amsterdam – Statistics & current form
With just two defeats and a 16-point lead over PSV Eindhoven, Ajax Amsterdam secured the national championship in the Netherlands for the 35th time in history this summer.
In doing so, the Godenzonen further strengthened their status as the country’s record champions. They also won the national cup for the 20th time and reached the quarter-finals of the Europa League. The task now is to build on these successes.
Dream start in the Eredivisie
After a bumpy start to the season, the Godenzonen are currently on course. The first match of the 2021/22 season in the Johan Cruijff Schaal was a bitter 4-0 defeat against PSV Eindhoven.
But then Erik ten Hag’s team picked up 19 of a possible 21 points in league play and conceded just one goal in seven games while scoring an incredible 30 goals On top of that, Ajax got off to a flying start in the Champions League, winning 5-1 at Sporting Lisbon on matchday one thanks to a four-goal haul from Sébastian Haller
Won eight of ten competitive matches against Turkish clubs
The Dutch can now go into the second matchday of the Champions League with a broad chest, where they could make it into the last 16 for only the second time in their ninth group stage appearance.
Ajax Amsterdam’s second win in their second group game against Besiktas is also a very good bet in terms of their record against Turkish clubs. From ten competitive matches against representatives of the Süper Lig, the Godenzonen have won eight games.
Predicted line-up of Ajax Amsterdam:
Pasveer – Blind – Martínez – Timber – Mazraoui – Gravenberch – Álvarez – Tadic – Berghuis – Antony – Haller
Last matches played by Ajax Amsterdam:
Turkey Besiktas – Statistics & current form
Besiktas Istanbul celebrated the Turkish Championship for the 21st time in the club’s history this summer only because of their better goal difference than city rivals Galtasaray Istanbul. For the first time in four years, the Kara Kartallar (the black eagles) were back on top.
Of course, coach Sergen Yalcin was allowed to continue his good work. In addition, the Turks were able to make a number of successful moves in the transfer market. Players like Michy Batshuayi, Rachid Ghezzal and Miralem Pjanic made an impact right from the start and turned out to be valuable additions to the squad.
Recently only one point out of a possible six in the Süper Lig
At first it also looked as if the Kara Kartallar could confirm the success of the previous season.
In the first five league games, Besiktas picked up 13 points out of a possible 15. The Turks even went without conceding a goal in the first four games.
However, they then suffered their first defeat of the 2021/22 season in a 2-1 loss to Borussia Dortmund on the first matchday of the Champions League, which left the BJK (Besiktas Jimnastik Külübü) in a bit of a mess. In the Süper Lig, the Black and Whites lastly picked up just one point out of a possible six
Won five of last eight away matches in CL group stage
After the 3-3 draw at home against Adana Demirspor, last Friday’s 2-1 defeat at Altay was a minor low point from which the Yalcin eleven must first recover. It is not exactly likely that they will succeed in doing so against the Dutch, who are in good form.
However, the Kara Kartallar bring some momentum with them. The last time they participated in the premier league in 2017/18, they won their group unbeaten. That makes five wins from their last eight away games in Champions League group matches.
Predicted line-up of Besiktas:
Destanoglu – N’Sakala – Montero – Welinton – Rosier – Souza – Larin – Hutchinson – Pjanic – Ghezzal – Batshuayi
Last matches played by Besiktas:
Ajax Amsterdam – Besiktas Direct comparison / H2H Record
Head to head: 4 – 0 – 0
The two teams have faced each other four times in competitive matches so far and with a total of 10 – 2 goals, Ajax Amsterdam have won all four games
Netherlands Ajax Amsterdam – Besiktas Turkey tip
When it comes to Ajax Amsterdam against Besiktas, on the one hand the forecast has to take into account the Dutch side’s strength of form, who are once again soaring in their own spheres in the Eredivisie with 30-1 goals from seven games and disenchanted Sporting CP 5-1 on the first matchday of the top flight. On the other hand, the Turks have recently only won one of their last four competitive gamesand do not go into this away game with the greatest momentum.
Relatively no alternative is to bet on a home win for the Godenzones, who have also won all four of their previous competitive matches against Besiktas We see the greatest value in the half-time final score bet
