Tottenham v Ajax betting tips: Dutch aces to steal first-leg edge?
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On paper a PremierLeague side should have the clout to see off an Eredivisie visitor on home soil,but tonight’s Champions League clash between Tottenham Hotspur and Ajax won’tbe so straight-forward.
The Amsterdam outfit have been superb this season. They heldBayern Munich to a pair of draws in the group stages, before dumping out bothReal Madrid and Juventus in the knockouts.
Spurs will be without Harry Kane and Son Heung-min tonighttoo, which makes Mauricio Pochettino’s task all the more difficult. Will thehosts take a first-leg lead, or can Ajax effectively end the tie tonight?
Match Odds
Spurs are favourites, but odds of 27/20 suggests our traders have taken note of Ajax’sprowess. The Dutch side are 2/1outsiders, with a first-leg drawchalked up at 9/4.
Stopping Ajax scoring tonight will be a huge boost to Spurs’chances, but the Eredivise kingpins have already netted at the Allianz Stadium,the Santiago Bernabeu and the Juventus Stadium this term. Both Teams to Score is 8/11.
As for who goes through, our footy number crunches havechalked up the Dutch side as 8/11 favourites to make a first ChampionsLeague final since 1996. Spurs are Evensto make June’s showpiece in Madrid.
Talking Tactics
Spurs boss Pochettino will have to keep one eye on Ajax’scounter-attacking qualities. The Dutch side downed both Juventus and RealMadrid with little more than 40% possession.
But the hosts can’t afford to sit back on home soil. LucasMoura offers a more mobile service than Fernando Llorente and should get thenod up front, with Kane injured and Son suspended.
Spurs will need big games from both Christian Eriksen andDele Alli in the support positions, while Jan Vertonghen and Moussa Sissokoshould be welcome returnees tonight.
Ajax have no such injury concerns, and the Eredivisie evensuspended last weekend’s fixtures to ensure the side were fully fit for thisgame.
Boss Erik ten Hag will go 4-3-3, with the riveting trio ofDusan Tadic, David Neres and Hakim Ziyech looking to tear Spurs apart.Barcelona-bound Frenkie de Jong will pull the strings in midfield, leavingSissoko and Victor Wanyama to try and shut him down.
Goalscorer Odds
Moura heads up thefirst goalscorer betting at 4/1, ahead of Tadic at 9/2. The former Southampton man already has six goals inthe competition.
There’s 15/2 about Allibagging the opener, with set-piece king Eriksen available at 7/2 anytime. Ajax skipper Matthijs de Ligt poppedup with the crucial winner in Turin, andis 16/1 anytime.
Llorente is a likelyimpact substitute, and can be backed at 4/1 to score last, having alreadydone so versus Manchester City and Borussia Dortmund.
Match Info:
Where: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
When: 8:00pm
How to watch: BT Sport 2
View the latest Tottenhamv Ajax odds
All odds and marketscorrect as of date of publication
