Ajax v Tottenham Hotspur Betting Tips: Can Spurs turn it around in Amsterdam?
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Odds and preview for Champions League semi-final
Tottenham Hotspur travel to Amsterdam to tackle the second leg of their Champions League semi-final against surprise package Ajax tonight, hoping to take inspiration from Liverpool’s fightback last night.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side have a 1-0 deficit to overturn thanks to Donny van de Beek’s 18th-minute strike in the first leg, but the Lilywhites welcome back one of their key men for the most important game of their season. Can they join Liverpool in Madrid in June?
You’ll find all the pre-match odds and info here, ahead of kick-off at 8:00pm on BT Sport 2…
Head-to-Head
There have only been three previous meetings between these two, including Ajax’s first-leg win over Spurs last week.
Tottenham won the first two meetings in 1981 in the European Cup Winners Cup, with an aggregate scoreline of 6-1. That included a 3-1 win for Spurs in Amsterdam.
Ajax have been beaten on their own patch in the Champions League this season, with Real Madrid beating them 2-1 at the Johan Cruyff Arena before a dramatic comeback in the Bernabeu.
Likely XIs
Ajax: Onana; Veltman, De Ligt, Blind, Tagliafico; Schone, De Jong, Van De Beek; Ziyech, Tadic, Neres.
Tottenham: Lloris; Trippier, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Rose; Sissoko, Wanyama, Eriksen; Alli; Son, Lucas.
Ajax boss Erik ten Hag and his side come into this game boosted by a 4-0 win over Willem II in the KNVB Cop final at the weekend, ensuring they’re still on course for a historic treble.
It’s likely that he’ll name an unchanged XI to the side that picked up a crucial away goal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last week.
Tottenham will be glad to welcome back their South Korean star Son Heung-min for the second leg, despite his red card in their Premier League match against Bournemouth at the weekend.
He’ll likely form a pacey partnership up front with Lucas Moura, with Fernando Llorente dropping to the bench to become an option late on.
The Lilywhites could also welcome back Jan Vertonghen after his concussion in the first leg. He missed their trip to Bournemouth, but could be crucial defensively to Spurs’ hopes in Amsterdam.
Key Battles
Ajax will need to contain Spurs’ attacking threat if they’re to see the job through. If Pochettino does go with pace, they could look to target Daley Blind as the former Manchester United man is the most vulnerable to a pacey attack.
Matthijs de Ligt already looks a defender beyond his years. The club captain at 19-years-old, he’ll need to put in another stellar European defensive shift while also providing an attacking threat from set-pieces.
With Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld back together in the heart of the Spurs back-four, Ajax boss Ten Hag could look to target the Belgian duo’s vulnerabilities.
Vertonghen may be slightly hesitant with his defensive duties due to the concussion he suffered last week, which could allow the Ajax front-three of David Neres, Dusan Tadic and Hakim Ziyech to take full advantage.
There’ll be a battle of old v new in midfield too, with former Ajax man Christian Eriksen looking to create for Spurs, while the new guard Frenkie de Jong will be hoping to prove his worth at both ends of the pitch for the Dutch side.
Match Odds
Ajax are the favourites to get the job done on the night at 13/10, and therefore favourites to qualify for the Madrid final against Liverpool at 2/7.
After last night, it’s impossible to write Spurs off. They’re 2/1 to take inspiration from Liverpool, and 5/2 to make it an all-English affair in the final.
A 2-1 win would see the Lilywhites through, and that’s 9/1.
Former Southampton midfielder Tadic has had a remarkable campaign, and he’s the favourite to open the scoring tonight at 4/1. There’s also 7/5 about him scoring anytime.
Donny van de Beek scored the only goal in the first leg, and he’s 9/1 to score first again, or 3/1 anytime.
Spurs’ Champions League hopes could rest on the form of Son Heung-min. He’ll be keen to make amends after his red card last weekend. He’s 9/2 to grab the first goal, or 13/8 to score anytime.
He’s also 9/1 to score 2+ goals during the 90 minutes.
View the latest Ajax v Tottenham odds at Coral.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
