This promises to be an action-packed encounter for AEK Athens at OPAP Arena when the Europa League tournament arrives in town and Ajax with it. Read all about the Group Stage match here!
These teams have little in common geographically as Ajax have to travel 2800 kilometers to reach their opponents. The trip home will be especially long if the match ends in defeat.
AEK Athens have less rest than Ajax in this fixture, as the hosts were involved in a Super League game only three days ago. At least it's nice to return home after that away game at OFI.
AEK Athens form and stats
AEK Athens have secured 5 points from their first three home games in the Super League. A decent catch, still with room for improvement.
Athens faced defeat in their previous match, away at OFI (0-2). Midfielder Szymański was the best player on the team with a rating of 7.23 (out of ten) in that game. Szymański hit two key passes and had 70 successful passes (of 79 total).
Before that game, the 2-1 home victory against Atromitos.This is expected to be a close game, with AEK Athens perhaps considered small favourites due to their home advantage. Looking back at earlier matches similar to this one (expected to be close with AEK Athens as a small favourite), we find 4 games. AEK Athens has won 1 of these, drawn 2 and lost 1.
There's a new fixture coming up fairly quickly for Athens, as the Super League home game vs Panaitolikos is only three days away.
AEK Athens has scored 4 league goals at home this season, in 3 matches.
Ajax form and stats
Ajax was sent out of Europa League in the knockout round play-offs last season, when Union Berlin turned out to be too strong.The Eredivisie season is young and Ajax have only just started going through their travel schedule, with 3 away games done and still no victory. 2 draws and 1 defeat so far. When we have look at the Europa League statistics, we find 1W-1D-1L. This is both home and away.
Two travels in a row for Ajax, whose coach Steijn could celebrate last time after the win against RKC Waalwijk. The attacker Brobbey got a match rating of 8.03 in that game. Brobbey scored one goal and dribled past the opponent 1 of 1 times.
Preceding that, the 0-4 home loss versus Feyenoord.So, this is expected to be a close game, an even contest. Looking at earlier matches with Ajax playing away and similar expectations, we found 4 relevant matches. Results were 1 Ajax win, 0 draws and 3 defeats.
The visitors are returning home after this fixture, hosting AZ in just three days.
As for defending, Ajax rarely keep clean sheets as they have conceded 5 goals from these away matches.
Head 2 Head
Data for the last two meetings involving these two sides are: zero wins for Athens, zero draws and two wins for Ajax. Over 2,5 goals: one time; under 2,5 goals: one game. The games between these teams have had a tendency to be rough and physical, having seen 2 sending-offs from the last two encounters.
Top Goalscorers
  N. Amrabat 2 goals |  M. Gaćinović 2 goals |  S. Zuber 2 goals |
AEK Athens missing players
Ajax missing players
| AEK Athens | Ajax | ||||||
| Total | Home | Statistics | Stat | Away | Total | ||
| 25 | 12 | Played | P | 12 | 25 | ||
| 15 | 6 | Won | W | 4 | 10 | ||
| 5 | 4 | Drew | D | 2 | 6 | ||
| 5 | 2 | Lost | L | 6 | 9 | ||
| 50 | 25 | Scored | S | 18 | 46 | ||
| 23 | 9 | Conceded | C | 26 | 44 | ||
| 92% | 92% | Over 0.5 | O 0.5 | 92% | 92% | ||
| 84% | 83% | Over 1.5 | O 1.5 | 92% | 84% | ||
| 68% | 58% | Over 2.5 | O 2.5 | 92% | 80% | ||
| 36% | 42% | Over 3.5 | O 3.5 | 67% | 64% | ||
| 12% | 8% | Over 4.5 | O 4.5 | 25% | 24% | ||
| 56% | 50% | BTTS | BTTS | 75% | 64% | ||
| 32% | 42% | Clean Sheets | C S | 8% | 16% | ||
| 20% | 17% | Failed to Score | F T | 25% | 28% | ||
| 5.8 | 5.7 | Corners for (avg) | C F | 7 | 7.1 | ||
| 2.6 | 1.7 | Corners against (avg) | C A | 4.2 | 3.2 | ||
| 2 | 1.4 | Yellow cards (avg) | Y C | 1.9 | 1.7 | ||
| 4 | 3 | Red cards | R C | 1 | 2 | ||
| 15.4 | 16.2 | Shots (avg) | S ( | 13.2 | 15.3 | ||
| 5.9 | 6.2 | Shots on Target (avg) | S O | 5.2 | 5.5 | ||
| 34% | 33% | Goal Efficiency | G E | 29% | 34% | ||
| 7.2 | 6.8 | Shots against (avg) | S A | 12.6 | 11 | ||
| 2.8 | 2.1 | Shots on Target against (avg) | S O | 4.8 | 4.3 | ||
| Total | Home | Away | |||||||||||||||||||
| # | Team | MP | W | D | L | F | A | MP | W | D | L | F | A | MP | W | D | L | F | A | +/- | P |
| 1 | AEK Athens | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 2 | Olympique Marseille | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| 3 | Ajax | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 4 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 |
| Total | Home | Away | |||||||||||||||||||
| # | Team | MP | W | D | L | F | A | MP | W | D | L | F | A | MP | W | D | L | F | A | +/- | P |
| 1 | Olympiakos Piraeus | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 22 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 20 | 19 |
| 2 | PAOK | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 13 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 8 | 14 |
| 3 | Panathinaikos | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 11 | 13 |
| 4 | OFI | 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 12 |
| 5 | AEK Athens | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 11 |
| 6 | Panserraikos | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 11 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 7 | 1 | 9 |
| 7 | Lamia | 7 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 11 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 9 | -4 | 9 |
| 8 | Aris | 7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 11 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 8 | -1 | 8 |
| 9 | Asteras Tripolis | 7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 7 | -3 | 8 |
| 10 | Kifisia | 7 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 16 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 10 | -7 | 6 |
| 11 | PAS Giannina | 7 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 5 | -4 | 5 |
| 12 | Atromitos | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 9 | -6 | 3 |
| 13 | Panaitolikos | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | -9 | 3 |
| 14 | Volos NFC | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 7 | -8 | 2 |
| Total | Home | Away | |||||||||||||||||||
| # | Team | MP | W | D | L | F | A | MP | W | D | L | F | A | MP | W | D | L | F | A | +/- | P |
| 1 | PSV | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 21 | 21 |
| 2 | AZ | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 20 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 17 | 19 |
| 3 | FC Twente | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 10 | 18 |
| 4 | Feyenoord | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 26 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 3 | 20 | 17 |
| 5 | Excelsior | 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 14 | 11 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 12 |
| 6 | Sparta Rotterdam | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 11 |
| 7 | Heracles | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 12 | 13 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 7 | -1 | 11 |
| 8 | Go Ahead Eagles | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 13 | 15 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 12 | -2 | 10 |
| 9 | Fortuna Sittard | 7 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 11 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 9 | -4 | 9 |
| 10 | NEC | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 12 | 14 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 7 | -2 | 7 |
| 11 | PEC Zwolle | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 12 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | -5 | 7 |
| 12 | Vitesse | 7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 4 | -5 | 6 |
| 13 | SC Heerenveen | 7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 9 | 17 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 10 | -8 | 6 |
| 14 | RKC Waalwijk | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 13 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 6 | -8 | 6 |
| 15 | Ajax | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 5 | -3 | 5 |
| 16 | Almere City | 7 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 18 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 8 | -12 | 4 |
| 17 | FC Utrecht | 7 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 16 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 7 | -12 | 3 |
| 18 | FC Volendam | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 16 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 10 | -10 | 1 |
