Benfica vs Ajax: Benfica look to strike first in the Champions League when they face Ajax in the Round of 16 1st leg match at home on Wednesday.
Match Details:
Teams: Benfica vs Ajax
Venue: Estadio da Luz
Date: Thursday 24th February, 2022
Time: 01:30 AM IST
Live Link: http://www.sonyliv.com/
Preview
Benfica come into the knockouts having finished runners-up in Group E behind Bayern Munich.
The Portuguese side finished the group with 8 points from 6 matches; having won, drawn and lost 2 matches each.
With Barcelona as the third team in the group, it was mighty important for them to begin on the front foot, which they managed to do.
Benfica is currently in 3rd place in the Liga Portugal table with 51 points having played positively.
With 2 wins and a draw from their last 5 matches, form has taken a dip but with the quality in their rank it’s a matter of time before they get back up.
On the other hand, Ajax entered the Round of 16 having done the perfect set in Group C where they won all 6 matches.
The Eredivisie side are on the underdogs to win the title this season due to their relentless and attacking style of play.
Also read: Cristiano Ronaldo’s Top 5 favourite opponents in UCL; see who makes the cut
The Ajax forward, Haller has been in outstanding goal-scoring form with 10 goals this season; most in this season.
They are on a 10-match winning streak across competitions and aim to utilize this form moving forward.
Both sides last met in the UCL 2018-19 group stages, where Ajax drew 1-1 in Lisbon.
Form Guide
Benfica: DWWLL
Ajax: WWWWW
Last Matches of both teams:
Boavista 2-2 Benfica
Willem II 0-1 Ajax
Sébastien Haller marks his 50th outing for Ajax with a hat-trick. 🎩👏
👕 50 games
⚽️ 41 goals#UCL pic.twitter.com/VQARX8VV7u— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) February 13, 2022
Where to watch the live stream and broadcast of Benfica vs Ajax in India?
The live stream is available on the Sony LIV App, Jio TV; while the broadcast is on Sony TEN 1.
Team News
Benfica has no injury concerns ahead of this clash while Brobbey and Stekelenburg are ruled out for Ajax due to injuries.
Tagliafico and Klaiber are major doubts due to fitness and knee concerns respectively.
Benfica possible 11:
Vlachodimos, Lazaro, Otamendi, Vertonghen, Grimaldo, Mario, Bernardo, Weigl, Taarabt, Silva and Nunez
Ajax possible 11:
Pasveer, Blind, Martinez, Timber, Mazraoui, Gravenberch, Alvarez, Tadic, Berghuis, Antony and Haller
Prediction: Benfica 0-2 Ajax
Ajax has a proud defensive record and been in scintillating form this season.
Meanwhile, Benfica has hit a rough patch having started out well.
We expect an engaging contest here though as both teams want to start well, but Ajax look the more settled and stronger unit and should gain the victory.
Players to watch out for: Nunez, Taarabt, Haller and Tadic.
