With Liverpool hosting Ajax in the Champions League on Tuesday night, they face a team in imperious form in the Eredivisie, having just won 5-0.
It’s safe to say that Ajax have a monopoly on the Dutch top flight, winning six of the last 10 titles, including each of the last three.
However, they have often failed to transfer that success to Europe, having withdrawn from the group stage in two of the last three seasons and in the round of 16 last time.
In fact, the only time in the last 20 years that they have made it past the round of 16 was in 2018/19, when they suffered a last-minute defeat to Tottenham in the semi-finals, before Liverpool’s triumph in Madrid.
However, under the new management of Alfred Schreuder, they will be looking to inflict a second successive defeat on the Reds in Group A, when they visit Anfield on Tuesday.
The match is still expected to go ahead despite recent UK postponements due to the Queen’s passing, and Ajax will arrive on Merseyside in excellent form.
Saturday night brought their seventh successive win in all competitions and, securing a 5-0 victory over SC Heerenveen, their fifth successive clean sheet.
Schreuder made just one change from Rangers’ 4-0 thrashing in the Champions League opener, with Davy Klaassen coming on for Steven Berghuis in a three-man midfield.
It was Klaassen who opened the scoring, heading in from close range after Dusan Tadic’s cut-and-cross, and the former Southampton playmaker also set up the second when Kenneth Taylor converted a clever free-kick routine on goal.
Tadic’s corner caused the trouble that led to Ajax’s third, too, with striker Mohammed Kudus finally turning and shooting into the crowd.
Kudus made it 4-0 shortly after, when Jorge Sánchez broke through and put the ball in the face of the goal for a simple finish, before Tadic got his third assist of the night.
It was arguably his finest hour as well, with a deft pass from Brian Brobbey showing his ability to plow through defenses at will.
Liverpool, of course, are familiar with Tadic from his time in the Premier League, but he has stepped up a gear since leaving Southampton for Ajax in 2018.
Wearing the captain’s armband, the 33-year-old pulls the strings for the Amsterdam club, and Jurgen Klopp’s backroom will be keeping a close eye on his game in the build-up to Tuesday’s clash.
Ajax XI vs. SC Heereveen: Pasveer; Rensch (Sanchez 46′), Timber, Bassey, Blind; Álvarez (Brobbey 60′), Klaassen, Taylor (Berghuis 67′); Tadic, Bergwijn (Grillitsch 60′), Kudus (Ocampos 72′)
Unused Subs: Stekelenburg, Kaplan, Gorter, Lucca, Baas, Magallan
