UCL Preview: Liverpool vs Ajax Betting Odds, Ajax not Missing Erik ten Hag

Liverpool and Ajax Display Polar Opposite Form

Napoli ran Liverpool off of the pitch last week in a 4-1 beatdown. Liverpool was set to play Wolves on Saturday before their match was postponed due to Queen Elizabeth II’s death. Now, they’re getting thrown right back into the UCL fire as they host Ajax on Tuesday. Ajax has shown no signs of missing former manager Erik ten Hag and is in incredible form. Let’s see which team the Liverpool vs Ajax betting odds favor, though.

Champions League – Liverpool vs Ajax Game Info:

• Location: Anfield, Liverpool, England, U.K.
• Date & Time: Tuesday, September 13, 3:00 P.M. EST
• TV: Paramount+, VIX+

Head-to-Head

The only two recent meetings between Liverpool and Ajax were in the 2020 Champions League Group Stage. Liverpool eked out two 1-0 wins over Ajax in two evenly matched games. This hasn’t been a very frequently played fixture as these teams have only met four times in history. The other two meetings were in the 1966-1967 European Cup, as Ajax advanced from the second round, 7-3 on aggregate. In their Champions League next game, Liverpool are the favorites.

Early Must-Win Match for Liverpool

• Last Match: 4-1 L at Napoli
• Injuries and Suspensions: M Naby Keita (Day-to-Day), F Fabio Carvalho (Day-to-Day), M Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Day-to-Day), D Ibrahima Konate (Out), M Jordan Henderson (Out), M Curtis Jones (Out)

Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool has looked completely disjointed as of late. Some of the defensive errors in their recent 4-1 loss to Napoli were absolutely baffling. Sure, the Reds have a bunch of injuries, but that doesn’t completely explain their start to the season. In addition to their opening UCL loss, Liverpool has won just two of their opening six Premier League games.

Taking the Liverpool betting odds has been a losing proposition this season but there is still plenty of time to turn things around. That’s at least the case in the Premier League, this approaches a must-win match for the Reds. Should they lose and Napoli defeat FC Copenhagen, Liverpool will be six points behind both Napoli and Ajax. That’s a gap they’d have only four games to surmount to qualify for the knockout stage.

Despite their bad form on the road, Liverpool hasn’t lost in three matches at Anfield this season. Mo Salah hasn’t been in his best form, as he’s managed just two goals in seven matches in all competitions. Salah was the joint-leading scorer in the Premier League last season and Liverpool needs secondary scoring. Luis Diaz has played well recently but Uruguayan striker Darwin Nunez is yet to hit the ground running.

Ajax on Cruise Control

• Last Match: 5-0 W vs Heerenveen
• Injuries and Suspensions: D Owen Wijndal (Day-to-Day), F Francisco Conceicao (Day-to-Day)

After manager Erik ten Hag left in the offseason, Ajax had a mass exodus that didn’t stop until transfer deadline day. Key players from last season Ryan Gravenberch, Antony, Sebastien Haller, Lisandro Martinez, Noussair Mazraoui are all gone. Despite all of the losses, Ajax started Alfred Schreuder’s tenure excellently. They’ve won seven consecutive matches in all competitions and destroyed Rangers 4-0 in their Champions League opener.

Steven Bergwijn has been on a goalscoring tear in his first season with Ajax. The former Tottenham winger has six goals in six Eredivisie matches and scored vs Rangers last week. Even with the departures, Ajax is still full of talent. Defender Jurrien Timber is one of the most sought-after young talents in European soccer. Dusan Tadic is a high-level midfield creator and Daley Blind provides stability and leadership at the back.

Ajax has scored multiple goals in four straight matches. As a result, the Liverpool vs Ajax betting odds price Ajax at -230 to at least get on the board in this one. Unlike Liverpool, they have a mostly healthy squad and are in great form. Rest assured, going to Anfield will be an entirely new challenge for this young team

Odds & Preview

Despite going through a challenging period, Liverpool is -200 and a one-goal favorite. Presumably, having their weekend match postponed is only going to help an injury-ridden LFC team. Still, the defensive issues are incredibly concerning, as Joe Gomez and Trent Alexander-Arnold struggled vs Napoli. Joel Matip is back from a groin injury and perhaps we’ll see the Matip-Virgil van Dijk combination start for just the third time this season.

Interestingly, the Liverpool vs Ajax betting odds favor Liverpool to cover the one-goal spread, at -130 odds. Ajax comes in as +425 underdogs despite winning their last seven Champions League group stage matches. Liverpool has only lost once at Anfield in the last 18 months, though.

A draw shows a +400 price for Tuesday’s match and Liverpool has drawn three matches already this season. Meanwhile, the over/under goals total for the match stands at 3½ in what’s expected to be an entertaining match.