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Ajax will face Chelsea in the third match of the Group stage in the Champions League on Wednesday. Ajax are currently at the top of the table in Group H with two wins from two matches so far. Ajax are also positioned at the top of the League table in Eredivisie. In the previous match, they edged past RKC Waalwijk by a margin of 2-1 on Saturday. However, UEFA have banned the fans for this game because of some problems in the previous match against Valencia. So, Ajax will not be able to fully utilize the home advantage in this match.
On the other hand, Chelsea are also in great form at this moment. They are enjoying a five match winning streak in all competitions. However, they were beaten by Valencia in the opening match of the Champions League by a margin of 1-0. They came back strongly in the next match, with a win over Lille. Chelsea were victorious against Newcastle United in the Premier League on Saturday. So, Frank Lampard's boys will certainly be up for the challenge against Ajax.
BigPesa suggests that the home side are the favourites to win this encounter, with odds of 2.14 in their favour. A win for the Blues is valued at 2.85, while a draw is valued at 3.35
Team News:
Ajax:
Ajax have lost two star players, Frenkie de Jong and Matthijs de Ligt in this summer transfer window. However, they are still playing really well this season under the management of Erik ten Hag. Erik ten Hagis is likely to field a formation of 4-3-3. Andre Onana will be under the bars for Ajax in this match. Noussair Mazraoui and Sergino Dest will be the two full-backs.
On the other hand, Daley Blind and Joel Veltman will be there at the centre of the defence. Lisandro Martinez, Quincy Promes and Donny van de Beek will be present in the midfield for Ajax. David Neres, Dusan Tadic and Hakim Ziyech will lead the attacking line for the home team in this match.
As per BigPesa, there should be a couple of goals in this match, with odds of 3.7 favouring it. However, the chances of a third goal being scored are valued at 3.9, which means it is a high possibility as well.
Chelsea:
Chelsea might miss the services of N'Golo Kante in this match as he is not fully fit yet. Emerson Palmieri will be back in the starting line-up and Marcos Alonso will be rested. Mateo Kovacic will be there in the midfield in place of Ross Barkley. Antonio Rudiger and Ruben Loftus-Cheek are long term absentees for the Blues.
Frank Lampard will field his side with a formation of 4-2-3-1 on Wednesday. Kepa Arrizabalaga will hold his place under the bars for the Blues. Kurt Zouma and Fikayo Tomori will be there in the central-defence. Cesar Azpilicueta and Emerson will be deployed as the two full-backs. Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic will feature in the midfield. Willian and Callum Hudson-Odoi will be deployed at the wings. Mason Mount will be behind them, with the lone centre-forward Tammy Abraham.
The 1-1 score-line is favoured the most for this game (7.6), as per the odds on BigPesa.
Predicted Lineups:
Ajax: (4-3-3)
Andre Onana, Noussair Mazraoui, Daley Blind, Joel Veltman, Sergino Dest, Lisandro Martinez, Quincy Promes, Donny Van de Beek, Dusan Tadic, David Neres, Hakim Ziyech.
Chelsea: (4-2-3-1)
Kepa Arrizabalaga, César Azpilicueta, Kurt Zouma, Fikayo Tomori, Emerson Palmieri, Jorginho, Mateo Kovacic, Mason Mount, Willian, Callum Hudson Odoi, Tammy Abraham.
