UEFA Champions League: Ajax vs. Borussia Dortmund Preview, Odds, Prediction

Ajax and Borussia Dortmund top the Group C standings at the moment with two wins from the opening two rounds. These two sides will probably decide the on-two order in this assembly, as it seems that they stand far above the other two rivals, Besiktas and Sporting. The style of play both teams prefer is ultra-offensive, and we can’t wait for the game to start, because we expect to see fireworks at Amsterdam Arena.

Preview

Ajax (+120) beat Heerenveen on the road on Saturday, without a few players from South America who had their World Cup qualifiers. This was the eighth victory for the Lancers in the last nine games and the fifth clean sheet in the previous six contests. Quite unbelievable for Ajax.

We got used to seeing the Dutch powerhouse having an incredibly gifted attack, not the defense, but in this case, we need to acknowledge that part of the team also, and its impact on Ajax’s results.

That single defeat in the Dutch domestic league against Utrecht just before the international break was the only match in the last 10 in which Ajax didn’t net twice. That is, however, their trademark throughout history. The Dutch champs always had fantastic strikers.

Borussia Dortmund (+190) finally saw Erling Haaland returning on the field, and the Norwegian instantly scored a brace against Mainz on Saturday. There is no doubt that this team is at least 30% stronger with this wonderboy in the lineup.

The Millionaires have three consecutive victories, all of them at home. At first, they beat Sporting in the UCL, then Augsburg, and now Mainz. Though we need to stress out, Rose’s side didn’t look very convincing in the first two games.

When playing on the road, the efficiency of the games is pretty much the same, with only one in the past five with under 2.5 goals, and that was a defeat in Monchengladbach.

Latest News

Two goalkeepers are out for the home team. Onana is suspended for a while, while Martin Stekelenburg is out due to a hip injury. Klaiber is questionable as he struggles with a knee injury.

On the other side, Giovanni Reyna is injured, the same as Mahmoud Dahoud, Raphael Guerreiro and young Youssoufa Moukoko.

Head to Head Games

We didn’t see these two sides meeting since 2012. That was when Dortmund posted both wins in the UCL group stage. The first game at Signal Iduna ended 1-0, while the rematch saw the Millionaires trouncing the Lancers 1-4.

Prediction

Goals will be our focus here. Ajax attacks at home, while on the other side, Borussia is offensive regardless of the venue and the rivals. The first suggestion is to bet on over 2.5 goals, with the odds on that sitting at -200 currently. You can increase them a little bit by adding both teams to score.

For those who would like to go a bit riskier, our recommendation is over 1.5 second HT. The odds there are -166. As the game develops, the efficiency of both Ajax and Borussia increases.

Pick: Over 2.5 goals

Here are the preview for more UEFA Champions League games:

• Atletico Madrid vs. Liverpool
• PSG vs. RB Leipzig
• Porto vs. AC Milan
• Besiktas vs. Sporting
• Benfica vs. Bayern Munich
• Barcelona vs. Dynamo Kyiv