HISTORY
Ajax are the most successful side in Dutch football history, racking up 36 league titles and 29 domestic cup honours.
The Amsterdam club have won back-to-back Eredivisie titles, edging Rangers’ Champions League qualifying opponents PSV Eindhoven by two points last term.
A club renowned for their attacking style of play, Ajax have lifted the European Cup on four separate occasions, with their last success in the competition coming back in 1994/95 with victory over AC Milan in the final.
CURRENT FORM
After losing out to PSV in the Johan Cruyff Shield on the eve of the league season, Ajax have responded with five victories in a row to top the Eredivisie at this early stage of the campaign.
The league leaders have been in fine goalscoring form, recording 4-0 and 6-1 wins over Cambuur and FC Groningen respectively at home.
MANAGER
Ajax are managed by their one-time former assistant coach Alfred Schreuder, who began his journey in the dugout back in 2008.
The 49-year-old was Steve McClaren’s right-hand man when the Englishman was in charge of FC Twente, before he was appointed as permanent manager in 2014.
After later being removed from his post, Schreuder joined forces with current Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag at Ajax in 2018. An opportunity later arose to succeed Julian Nagelsmann at Hoffenheim, before he joined Ronald Koeman’s coaching team at Barcelona after a season in the Bundesliga.
The Dutchman was appointed manager of Club Brugge in January 2022, guiding the Belgian side to league glory before returning to Ajax this summer on a two-year contract.
STYLE OF PLAY
With the club shaped by the influence of the late Johan Cruyff, Ajax play a front-foot brand of football in a 4-3-3 formation.
Schreuder’s side like to dominate possession and attack with speed from their wingers. They play a high defensive line in order to recover possession quickly and sustain pressure on their opponents.
They have goal threats in different areas across the pitch, highlighted by the repurposed role of Steven Berghuis in the team. The Dutch international worked under van Bronckhorst at Feyenoord, previously cutting his teeth as a winger before being moved inside the pitch to play a central midfield role.
KEY PLAYER
Ajax have a host of danger men to look out for, with winger Steven Bergwijn having started the campaign in particularly impressive form.
The Dutchman left Tottenham Hotspur after three seasons in north London this summer and has wasted no time in finding his shooting boots. The 24-year-old’s brace in his side’s recent win over Cambuur took his goalscoring tally for the season to seven goals in just six appearances.
Elsewhere, Dusan Tadic and Daley Blind have Premier League experience, while there are high hopes for 20-year-old Brian Brobbey as a central striker.
PREVIOUS MEETING
The last time these two teams met in European competition was back in the group stages of the Champions League in 1996/97.
The Light Blues tasted a narrow 1-0 defeat at Ibrox as Arnold Schouten got on the scoresheet, while they fared no better in the reverse fixture in Amsterdam.
Paul Gascoigne was sent off in a disappointing 4-1 defeat to the Dutch side, with Ian Durrant grabbing a late consolation for the Gers.
PLAYER LINKS
Having collected both a league and Scottish Cup winners’ medal during his time at Rangers, Calvin Bassey left for a club-record fee to join Ajax this summer.
There are also links to the reigning Eredivisie champions in the current Gers coaching staff. Dave Vos worked his way through the coaching ranks in the Ajax youth, teaming up with Giovanni van Bronckhorst in the Ibrox dugout following his appointment as manager.
Both Ronald and Frank de Boer have turned out for either club during their playing career, with the pair combining for over 500 appearances at the Dutch side.
Meanwhile, Shota Arveladze spent four years at Ajax before joining the Light Blues in 2001, winning five trophies during his spell at the club.
Brian Laudrup also ended his playing career at the Amsterdam outfit after making over 100 appearances for Rangers in a glittering spell at Ibrox.
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