Ajax and Besiktas have squared off six times before, and each time, the Dutch side has come out on top. With such a perfect record against the Turkish club, Ajax will be confident of extending their dominance when the two teams meet again at the Johan Cruijff Arena in their opening match of the new-look UEFA Europa League.
Their perfect head-to-head against the Turkish side is just one reason Ajax will feel optimistic about their chances in Thursday’s encounter. The Amsterdam side has also made a habit of scoring freely against Besiktas at the Johan Cruijff Arena, netting at least two goals in every home game against the visitors.
All the above added to Ajax’s formidable record when playing at home in the Europa League, where they’ve lost only two of their last 20 matches in this competition, winning 13 of them, suggests Besiktas face a monumental challenge on Thursday night.
An 11-game unbeaten run would suggest that the visitors are unlikely to be deterred by the embarrassingly one-sided nature of this matchup. And given their current good form, Besiktas might feel now is as good a time as any to break their losing run against the Dutch giants.
However, Besiktas have generally found success hard to come by on their travels, having managed just one victory in their last nine competitive away games and losing their last three away matches in the Europa League while conceding a total of 11 goals in the process.
With a defence prone to leaking goals in this competition and an Ajax side that loves scoring at home, especially in this fixture, Besiktas will need to be at their very best to avoid another heavy defeat in Amsterdam.
Betting Tip: Ajax to Win
26/09 20:00 Ajax Amsterdam – Besiktas Ajax to Win @ 1.93 (22bet)
Both teams come into this match with a penchant for high-scoring affairs. Ajax have scored at least two goals in four of their last five matches, while Besiktas have seen at least three goals scored in four of their last six games.
This trend, coupled with Ajax’s goalscoring record in this fixture, suggests that Thursday’s match could be a goal-fest, making a bet on over 2.5 goals at 1.664 odds on 22bet a worthwhile consideration.
However, given Ajax’s flawless head-to-head record against Besiktas (W6, L0) and the Turkish side’s very poor away record in this competition, we expect the Dutch giants to come away with the victory on Thursday.
Therefore, our recommendation is to bet on Ajax to win at 1.93 odds on 22bet, which presents a strong value bet for punters.
Ajax Amsterdam vs Besiktas - Ajax to Win @ 1.93
Predicted Line-ups:
- Ajax: Pasveer; Rensch, Šutalo, Kaplan, Hato; Henderson, Taylor, Klaassen; Brobbey, Traore, Weghorst.
- Besiktas: Günok; Masuaku, Uduokhai, Paulista, Svensson; Al Musrati, Fernandes, João Mário, Rafa Silva; Rashica, Immobile.
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