Last week Jurgen Klopp admitted Liverpool needed to have a fresh approach as their current way was not working. After last week’s shock 4-1 loss to Napoli, Klopp’s men got the weekend off so will have had plenty of time for rest, as well as time to mentally recover from that loss. Klopp still seems unsure of whether to trust Darwin Nunez again after his red card against Crystal Palace and that could be one of the problems hurting Liverpool’s performances at the moment. Liverpool are back at Anfield this midweek and the crowd will be expectant of a better performance than they saw against Napoli.
Ajax are not a team you would want to play when in a bad run of form. The Eredivisie team have won all of their first 6 league matches and tore apart Rangers on matchday 1. They have won their last 6 matches by an aggregate score of 22-1 and new Ajax manager Alfred Schreuder could not have hoped for a much better start to his tenure. Ajax know with Liverpool’s result in the first match, a win here would already put them in a very strong position to progress through what is a tough group.
Liverpool v Ajax Bet Builder Tips
Trent Alexander-Arnold to Assist Anytime
Goals are expected in this match, hence the very low odds offered for over 2.5 goals. I expect Liverpool to come out fighting with a much better performance after last week and they should score at least one goal themselves. From watching Ajax, when teams counter attack them they do tend to sit off and this also happens when their original press is beaten. Furthermore, their wingers are often slow at getting back and this can lead to their full backs being isolated.
Daley Blind is Ajax’s only left back with Wijndal injured and to say pace is not his strong point would be an understatement. I see him dropping off Salah to try and stop Salah getting in behind him with his pace advantage. At left wing for Ajax is Steven Bergwijn, the ex-Spurs player is a threat attacking wise, however he can dodge his job of tracking back. With Blind sat deep and Bergwijn not tracking back as much, Trent Alexander-Arnold can find himself in space to cross the ball in. While his defensive displays may not have been up to standard so far this season there can not be any doubt about his attacking ability. If Nunez is brought in, his aerial ability paired with Luis Diaz coming in off the left wing means Trent will be in the best position to get an assist.
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Prediction: Trent Alexander-Arnold to Assist Anytime
Luis Diaz to have 1+ Shots on Target
Luis Diaz is one of the only players in Liverpool’s squad that should be safe from criticism right now. He scored Liverpool’s only goals against Napoli and looked like one of their only consistent attacking threats. Luis Diaz’s threat this season has also been very consistent, he has had a shot on target in 5 of Liverpool’s last 6 games and has had at least 2 shots on target in 3 of Liverpool’s last 4 matches. He has averaged 1.06 shots on target per match for Liverpool this season and averages 0.91 shots on target per match across his career in Champions League matches. As previously mentioned, this is expected to be an open game and both teams will be able to create shots on target. If Liverpool do have plenty of shots on target like expected, Luis Diaz has to be the prime candidate to have one.
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Prediction: Luis Diaz to have 1+ Shots on Target
Mohammed Kudus to have 1+ Shots on Target
Alfred Schreuder must be credited for the change of Mohammed Kudus to a centre forward. He has slowly worked his way into the starting eleven as Ajax’s main striker, starting both their last 2 matches. With 4 goals in his last 3 matches, Kudus possesses fine dribbling ability as well as great finishing. His pace makes him superb against a high line and with Liverpool’s struggles recently it makes sense that he will be a thorn in the side of Liverpool’s defence. His positioning in the box is also sensational and when Ajax wingers do get behind opposition full backs he is always in a great position for a pass or pull back. With the gaps in behind Trent Alexander-Arnold that opposition teams have been finding, this presents a perfect opportunity for Kudus to register a shot on target.
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Prediction: Mohammed Kudus to have 1+ Shots on Target
Jurrien Timber to be Shown a Card
The referee for this match is Artur Dias and he loves to show a yellow card. Last season over 32 matches he averaged 5.88 yellow cards per match and this season he has averaged 5.8 yellow cards across 5 matches. He has refereed 2 Champions League qualifying matches already this season, giving out 11 yellow cards. Pair the referee with what will be a tense atmosphere and cards should be expected in this match.
Jurrien Timber received 3 yellow cards in Ajax’s Champions league campaign last season and has committed more fouls than any other Ajax player so far this season. Timber struggles against a physical player and in 50/50 battles he will often commit fouls. Up against Nunez I can see him committing a lot of fouls and if against Firmino he will be up against a skilful player that can draw fouls. For these reasons I am backing Timber to be booked in this match.
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Prediction: Jurrien Timber to be Shown a Card
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Liverpool v Ajax Predicted Line-ups:
Liverpool predicted XI (4-3-3) : Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Tsimikas; Elliott, Fabinho, Thiago; Jota, Nunez, Diaz
Ajax predicted XI (4-3-3) : Pasveer; Rensch, Timber, Bassey, Blind; Berghuis, Alvarez, Taylor; Tadic, Kudus, Bergwijn
* All odds displayed correct at the time of publishing *
How to watch Liverpool v Ajax in the UEFA Champions League?
📅 When is Liverpool v Ajax? / Tuesday, 13th September 2022, 20:00
🏟 Where is Liverpool v Ajax? / Anfield (Liverpool)
📺 What TV channel is Liverpool v Ajax on? / BT Sports 2
🟨 …And who is the referee for Liverpool v Ajax? / Artur Soares Dias 🇵🇹
