Dutch Super Cup: Ajax vs. PSV Preview, Odds, Prediction

Ajax and PSV square off in the Netherlands’ Super Cup, or as some call it, Johan Cruijff Schaal. The two of the most successful teams in this country are bound to deliver another fantastic clash, as they did so many times in the past. Ajax is the reigning Dutch champion, while on the other side, PSV took KNVB Cup last season. The game takes place at the Johan Cruijff Arena in Amsterdam, the home of the Lancers.

Besides this one we have two more Super Cup games this weekend.

• RB Leipzig vs. Bayern Munich
• Liverpool vs. Manchester City

Preview

Ajax (-110) had a busy summer, starting the preseason one month ago, however, mostly with the youngsters and without all the best players. As time went by, Tadic and the rest of the stars joined, and overall, Ajax had quite the convincing performance against his rivals.

Six games, of which they’ve won four with one draw and a loss, is a pretty good record. We have to say that the Lancers didn’t lose in the past four clashes, winning three against Lokomotiva Zagreb, 3-0, RB Salzburg, 3-2, and Shakhtar Donetsk, 3-1. In the meantime, they played 1-1 versus Eupen.

The team suffered major changes during the summer, with the biggest being the departure of the head coach, Erik Ten Hag, who ended up in Manchester United. Apart from that, Ajax lost several key players, like Sebastien Haller, Lisandro Martinez, Ryan Gravenberch, etc.

PSV (+300) also played six friendly games, winning three, losing two, and having one draw. The losses were to Villarreal 1-2, and Arminia Bielefeld, 0-4, but after that, they beat Eindhoven, 3-0, and Betis in the general test before the start of the campaign, 2-1.

It is noticeable that all of their six preseason events ended with three or more goals, usually with PSV netting at least twice. That is a good indicator that former European champions are going to play interesting football this season as well.

PSV didn’t lose too many of its players, only two, Mario Gotze and Ritsu Doan, while on the other side, they brought a few solid names, the most recognizable, Luuk de Jong and Guus Till.

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Ajax currently doesn’t have some problems with injuries.

PSV is without Andre Ramalho, Mauro Junior, and Carlos Vinicius, who are all injured.

Head to Head Games

We’ve seen 179 Der Toppers so far. Ajax won in 81 games, PSV in 66, while 32 of them ended with a draw.

PSV and Ajax met four times in the previous campaign. Ajax was better in both league contests 5-0 at home and 1-2 in Eindhoven, while PSV triumphed in the KNVB Cup finals, 2-1. PSV was also better in the Super Cup at the start of the season, trashing the big rivals, 4-0 in Amsterdam.

Prediction

We can’t say whether Ajax managed to cover up all the losses from the transfer window, which is why we wouldn’t bet on the full-time result here. Instead, our pick would be over 2.5 goals, as we believe a high-scoring affair is bound to happen in Amsterdam. This is the best choice for the preseason games and the overall approach on both ends.

Pick: Over 2.5 goals -185