Juventus v Ajax
UEFA Europa League Round of 32 2nd Leg
Stadio delle Alpi – Turin, Italy
25 February 2010 – 20:05 GMT
Ajax heads to Turin with a 1-2 deficit and having to get a win against a surging Juventus side.
Juventus v Ajax Preview
Serie A side Juventus has suddenly found their form in recent weeks and will take a lead into the second leg at home. Ajax, who hosted the first leg, will have to produce something great to win the tie. It looked like the Dutch club was on their way to a solid win as they led after only 17 minutes but two unanswered goals by Juventus were the difference.
Ajax is third in the Eredivisie and qualified for the knockout stage by placing second in Group A. They were 3-2-1 with a +2 goal difference and tied on points (11) with Group A winners Anderlecht. Juventus qualified by playing third in Group A of the UEFA Champions League. They had a 2-2-2 record were in position to advance in the tournament until a disappointing 1-4 loss on the last matchday to Bayern Munich.
Juventus continued to struggle after the Bayern loss and were at one point seventh in the Serie A table. In the last few weeks, they’ve resurrected their season with the win at Ajax and two straight wins in the Serie A. They are now fourth in the table and the favorites to advance in this tie.
Juventus’ top goalscorers this season are Trezequet (7), Amauri (5), Del Piero (4), and Diego (4). Ajax’s top scorers are Suarez (24), Pantelic (8), de Zeeuw (6), de Jong (4), and van der Wiel (4). Before the first leg loss, Ajax were undefeated in their last 8 matches (6-2-0).
The two away goals scored by Juventus will force Ajax to play an aggressive match. They do have some capable players but a win on the road might to much to ask. By playing sending players forward, Ajax will be susceptible to the counterattack. Juventus will be ready and goalkeeper Buffon is still one of the best in the world.
Juventus v Ajax Prediction
Juventus are on a hot streak and will win the match 2-0 (4-1 on aggregate).
Juventus v Ajax Video Highlights
Video Highlights can be found here