A few free words and a short odds pick as this is only the first leg and Ajax might settle happily to a point.
The first knockout round of the Europa League brings a Benelux clash as Royale Union SG faces Ajax! The first leg is set for Thursday at King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels, meaning Union SG will have to play on a neutral ground even in the knockout stage. Ajax, which has made an impressive return to the spotlight, is a slight underdog in the opening match in the betting markets, but I see it is differently!
Union SG, led by Sebastien Pocognoli, was close to elimination in the league phase but ultimately made it to the last 24 by just a single point. Their strength during the league stage was quality attacking play, though this wasn’t always reflected on the scoreboard, as they averaged just one goal per game. However, the floodgates have since opened, and they have now scored in 11 consecutive matches.
Team news:
USG miss Ross Sykes, who is serving a suspension, and Alessio Castro-Montes, who is sidelined with an injury. Sofiane Boufal has returned to training, and it remains to be seen whether the Moroccan winger will be ready for action on Thursday. He would be an important asset.
Ajax, under Francesco Farioli, suffered a couple of mishaps in the league phase but, from a tactical perspective, remains one of the strongest teams in the competition. In the Eredivisie, Ajax's patience has finally paid off, as they recently overtook PSV Eindhoven to claim the top spot! Could this be the season Ajax returns to reign the Dutch Eredivisie as they are so used to?
Team news:
The latest injury news for Ajax is concerning, as Wout Weghorst is set to be sidelined for a couple of months. Other absentees for Thursday include Matheus, Owen Wijndal, Jordan Henderson, Branco van den Boomen, Amourricho van Axel-Dongen, and Youri Regeer.
Just a note, the transfermarket value of Ajax is 2.5 times of the USG:s 70 million euros. It will be reflected on the pitch too.
Given these circumstances, Ajax is worth backing with a draw-no-bet option! Union SG has been very strong at home, but they cannot play at their home stadium this time which diminishes their home advantage a lot. Ajax is the better team of the two, and their current form suggests they can challenge their neighbors at least on equal terms in Belgium, and personally I would set them as favorites here.
Good luck!
该文章通过有道机器翻译，仅供参考:
由于这只是第一回合，阿贾克斯可能会很高兴地得到一分，所以我想说几句自由的话语和一个很小的*。
欧联杯第一轮淘汰赛带来了比荷卢的冲突，皇家联盟SG面对阿贾克斯！第一回合将于周四在布鲁塞尔的博杜安国王球场进行，这意味着即使在淘汰赛阶段，圣日耳曼也将不得不在一个中立的场地进行比赛。阿贾克斯令人印象深刻地回到了聚光灯下，在*市场的首场比赛中略微处于劣势，但我认为这是不同的！
在Sebastien Pocognoli的带领下，联合SG在联赛阶段一度接近淘汰，但最终仅以1分的优势进入了24强。他们在联赛阶段的优势在于高质量的进攻，尽管这并不总是反映在记分牌上，因为他们场均只有一个进球。然而，从那以后，他们已经连续11场比赛进球。
团队新闻:
美国国家队的罗斯·赛克斯（Ross Sykes）正在接受禁赛，而阿莱西奥·卡斯特罗-蒙特斯（Alessio Castro-Montes）则因伤缺阵。布法尔已经恢复训练，摩洛哥边锋能否在周四的比赛中上场还有待观察。他将是一个重要的资产。
在法里奥利的带领下，阿贾克斯在联赛阶段遭遇了几次不幸，但从战术角度来看，阿贾克斯仍然是联赛中最强的球队之一。在荷甲联赛中，阿贾克斯的耐心终于得到了回报，他们最近超过了埃因霍温，荣登榜首！这个赛季阿贾克斯会像他们习惯的那样重新统治荷甲联赛吗？
团队新闻:
阿贾克斯最新的伤病消息令人担忧，韦霍斯特将缺阵几个月。其他缺席周四比赛的球员还包括马修斯、欧文·维金达尔、乔丹·亨德森、布兰科·范登布门、阿莫里乔·范阿克塞尔-东根和尤里·雷格尔。
注意，阿贾克斯的转会市场价值是美国的2.5倍：7000万欧元。这也会反映在球场上。
在这种情况下，阿贾克斯是值得支持的一个平局不下注的选项！联合SG在主场非常强大，但这次他们不能在主场比赛，这大大削弱了他们的主场优势。阿贾克斯是两支球队中更好的一支，他们目前的状态表明他们至少可以在比利时挑战他们的邻居，我个人认为他们是最受欢迎的球队。
好运！
