Champions League: Ajax vs Tottenham preview
May 8, 2019
4 min read
- Ajax lead 1-0 after last week’s first leg in north London
- Dutch side have lost just once in 24 at home this season
- Heung-Min Son available after serving first-leg suspension
- Eriksen, Vertonghen, Alderweireld, Sánchez all ex-Ajax
- Spurs aiming to reach their first ever European Cup final
Tottenham defender Jan Vertonghen could play in the Champions League semi-final second leg against Ajax as Spurs look to overturn a one-goal deficit.
Vertonghen suffered a head injury in a nasty collision with team-mate Toby Alderweireld and Ajax goalkeeper Andre Onana during the first leg in London.
But tests revealed that Vertonghen had not been concussed and he may play in Amsterdam wearing a protective mask.
Ajax won the first leg 1-0 thanks to Donny van de Beek’s first-half goal.
The winners will play either Barcelona or Liverpool in the final in Madrid on 1 June, with the Spanish club leading 3-0 after the first leg.
Team news
Son Heung-min will return for Tottenham after missing the first leg through suspension and is expected to play up front with England striker Harry Kane still out with an ankle injury.
Vertonghen could replace Davinson Sanchez, who picked up a thigh injury in the 1-0 loss at Bournemouth on Saturday, with winger Erik Lamela and full-back Serge Aurier both available after hamstring injuries.
Tottenham have had an extra day to prepare as Ajax beat Willem II 4-0 in the final of the Dutch Cup on Sunday, but Erik ten Hag said he had a fully-fit squad to choose from with forward David Neres available after recovering from a foot injury.
Key battle
Lasse Schöne and Frenkie de Jong vs Christian Eriksen and Moussa Sissoko
Schöne and De Jong shackled Eriksen in the first leg, and allowed Ajax to impose their devastating combinations going forward – Schöne played a key part in Donny van de Beek’s goal.
The introduction of Sissoko, however, allowed Spurs to put the brakes on the Dutch club’s lightning midfield transitions and build some forward momentum of their own.
The Frenchman’s expected inclusion from the start will not only force Schöne and De Jong deeper, but should relieve Eriksen of defensive duties, allowing the Dane to weave his magic – and when he plays, Spurs invariably follow.
What they are saying
Ajax coach Erik ten Hag, says “the away goal was important last week” expecting that the fans at the Amsterdam Arena will provide the atmosphere to push them into matching the intensity required when playing a Premier League team.
“During the last hour [of the first leg] we did good things; the organisation of the team in defence was excellent. We need to do more in an attacking sense. We have to read the game and see what’s required and that’s the challenge”
Erik ten Hag, Ajax coach
Mauricio Pochettino, the Spurs boss, rues the fact that they conceded at home but says it is “an exciting moment for us”.
“We need to feel more freedom to play, because we have nothing to lose. Nobody thought that we would have the chance in the last week of the season to reach the final of the Champions League. Now we need to enjoy this moment and believe.”
Mauricio Pochettino, Tottenham coach
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