Ajax are in the midst of a period of transition and the Eredivisie outfit, who are on their second permanent manager of the campaign, look a shadow of the team that took on the best in the Champions League under Erik ten Hag just a few seasons ago.

Ajax’s ranks have been ruthlessly asset-stripped by Europe’s bigger teams since then and with the club’s current roster as weak as it’s been in a decade, performances and results have been on the slide.

The ship has been steadied somewhat since the October appointment of John van ‘t Schip, however, Ajax have already lost 13 times in all competitions this season while a youthful defence with an average age of just 20.3 has been all too easy for opponents to trouble.

Indeed, Ajax have conceded at least two goals in six of their ten fixtures since the end of the winter break in the Netherlands, and their inexperienced backline could be exposed again by a rapid Aston Villa attack.

Villa’s counter-attacking ability has made them away-day specialists this term and they have been beaten just twice in their last 15 away fixtures in all competitions, netting two or more goals in eight of those assignments.

Expect Aston Villa’s superior physicality to tell in Amsterdam against a lightweight Ajax outfit, just as it did when they roared to a 4-1 win at AZ Alkmaar in the Conference League group stage in October.

Another sweeping victory could well be in the offing if Villa click into gear and another high-scoring visit to the Netherlands looks possible.

England hopeful Ollie Watkins has been in devastating form this season and alongside plundering goal after goal this term, the 28-year-old has also been a potent creative force for the Villans.

Watkins has notched 18 times in 31 starts in all competitions for Villa since August and he is also into double figures for assists (10) over the same period. The lethal finisher bagged five goals in his last three appearances alone and he wields enough confidence to do some more damage in Amsterdam.

Look for Villa’s central striker to either score or assist again at a generous price against Ajax, while the visitors’ Douglas Luiz oozes potential in the shots on target market, where the midfielder is a meaty 1.83 to land a single accurate effort.

Only Watkins (3.10) has been racking up more attempts per game than the Brazilian (1.70) in the Premier League this season and Luiz managed to hit four shots on target across his last four appearances.

For Ajax, star striker Brian Brobbey is the obvious threat. The 22-year-old has been rebuilding his reputation following a failed spell at RB Leipzig, and Brobbey has clocked at least one shot on target in 12 of his last 17 appearances for de Godenzonen.

Much of Ajax’s play in the final third is geared around creating chances for Brobbey, so expect him to get at least one sight of goal.

Aston Villa won at least eight corners in three of their six Conference League group stage fixtures before Christmas and averaged 6.66 corners per game in the section overall, however, the level of opponent they faced needs to be taken into consideration.

The Villans were always likely to dominate the corner count against the likes of Bosnian side Zrinjski and Poles Legia Warsaw, though it is interesting to note that they lost the corner battle 1-4 when they visited the Netherlands to take on AZ Alkmaar in October.

Villa reversed that corner count in the contest’s actual scoreline however, and their 4-1 triumph was built on a counter-attacking blueprint.

Unai Emery could lean on the same tactical formula in Amsterdam on Thursday, so don’t be surprised to see another lowish corner tally at the Johan Cruyff Arena.

With that in mind and market options limited, aim low if you’re aiming at all. An average of 9.0 total corners were awarded per game during Villa’s group stage campaign, and backing over 6.5 corners to land is about as low as you can go here while still retaining some value.

We expect Ajax to have to deal with plenty of fast Villa breaks on Thursday evening and holding midfield pair Benjamin Tahirovic and Jordan Henderson could be drawn into some awkward defensive situations in Amsterdam.

Recent acquisition and former Premier League big-hitter Henderson will be determined to shine against English side Villa, and the 35-year-old – whose game is built on energy and enthusiasm – won’t be afraid to stick his boot in.

Henderson committed at least one foul in each of his last three appearances for Ajax and is backable to sin at least once again here. His fellow destroyer, Benjamin Tahirovic, has fouled at least twice in eight separate matches already this term, and the hard-hitting 21-year-old should be in the thick of things again on Thursday.

Villa full back Matty Cash also catches the eye in the 1+ fouls stakes. The 26-year-old committed two or more fouls in three of his last four appearances and he could be marking a winger with Premier League experience in Steven Bergwijn.

Bergwijn has been fouled at least once in 13 of his 16 domestic run-outs for Ajax this season and the 26-year-old Dutchman was also stopped in his tracks seven times in five Europa League group stage appearances for the Dutch giants before their elimination.