UCL: Team News, Match Preview As Liverpool Tackle Ajax

by AnaedoOnline
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Manager Jurgen Klopp had hoped midfielder Naby Keita might be back from a hamstring injury but he did not train with the squad on Monday evening.

Fabinho fills Virgil Van Dijk void superbly as Liverpool win at Ajax |  FourFourTwo

Midfielder James Milner (hamstring) is the latest player to be added to an injury list which includes Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Thiago Alcantara (all knee), Trent Alexander-Arnold (calf) and Xherdan Shaqiri (muscle).

Ajax are set to be without Daley Blind after the former Manchester United defender sustained a hamstring injury against Midtjylland last week.

Meanwhile, Mohammed Kudus is a long-term absentee for the Dutch side after requiring surgery on the knee injury he picked up against Liverpool on matchday one.

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Liverpool will go through to the last 16 if they avoid defeat. The Reds will be confirmed as group winners if they beat Ajax and Atalanta do not beat Midtjylland.

This will be the fourth meeting between Liverpool and Ajax in European competition, with the previous three ending in an Ajax win, a draw and a Liverpool win.

Ajax have only played away at Liverpool in the European Cup/UEFA Champions League once previously, with the two sides playing out a 2-2 draw in the second leg of a Last 16 tie in 1966-67 (Ajax won 7-3 on aggregate).

Read Also: UCL: Match Updates As Ajax Clash With Liverpool Today

Since losing their first ever game against a Dutch team in European competition (1-5 v Ajax in December 1966), Liverpool have gone unbeaten in 14 subsequent games against teams from the Netherlands (W9 D5).

Ajax haven’t lost any of their last five away games against English sides in the UEFA Champions League (W1 D4), with the most recent such trip being an entertaining 4-4 draw against Chelsea in November 2019.

Liverpool’s defeat against Atalanta ended a run of eight consecutive games without defeat in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League (W7 D1), while the Reds have only once previously lost consecutive group stage games in the competition under Jürgen Klopp (in November 2018).

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Ajax are unbeaten in their last 11 away games in the UEFA Champions League (W7 D4); their longest run away from home in the competition since between September 1994 and March 1997 (14 games – W10 D4).

Since the start of the 2017-18 season, Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah is one of only four players to have scored 20+ goals in the UEFA Champions League (21), along with Robert Lewandowski (31), Cristiano Ronaldo (26) and Lionel Messi (24).

Ajax’s Dusan Tadic has created the joint-most chances following ball carries in the UEFA Champions League this season (6 – level with Jadon Sancho and Kinglsey Coman), while no player has made more carries resulting in assists (2 – level with Juan Cuadrado and Joshua Kimmich).

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