Ajax vs Juventus Preview: Where to Watch, Live Stream, Kick Off Time & Team News
Ajax welcome Juventus to the Johan Cruijff ArenA on Wednesday night for what is shaping up to be another gripping Champions League fixture.
As the home side will be looking to cause another upset on the main stage, it will take all of Massimiliano Allegri's experience if he want's his Juventus side to walk away with a positive result going into the next leg of this quarter-final tie.
With star forward Cristiano Ronaldo hoping to make his return from his recent injury, perhaps his involvement could make the difference as both teams look to secure their place in the next round.
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Check out 90min's preview for the match below.
How to Watch
When Is Kick Off? | Wednesday 10 April |
What Time Is Kick Off? | 20:00 (BST) |
Where Is it Played? | Johan Cruijff ArenA |
TV Channel/Live Stream | BT Sport 3/BT Sport 4K UHD |
Referee | Carlos del Cerro Grande |
Team News
Ronaldo is set to return from a hamstring injury from Portugal's 1-1 draw with Serbia in the international break. The 34-year old star could make the starting XI after missing Juventus' victory against Milan on Saturday.
Veteran defender Giorgio Chiellini will be hoping to earn his place in the starting XI after being on the bench against Milan. The Italian was substituted during Juventus' Coppa Italia defeat against Atalanta in January.
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Juan Cuadrado, Douglas Costa and Sami Khedira are all fighting for fitness, the latter replaced Emre Can on Saturday as he was went off with an injury. Can is now being monitored ahead of Wednesday's game.
Ajax look to remain without Hassane Bande and Carel Eiting as both players continue to struggle with respective injuries.
Right-back Noussair Mazraoui is expected to return to the side after a minor suspension which saw him miss Ajax's 4-1 victory over Willem II on Saturday.
Predicted Lineups
Ajax | Onana; Veltman, De Ligt, Blind, Tagliafico; Schone, De Jong, Ziyech, Van de Beek, Neres; Tadic |
Juventus | Szczesny; Rugani, Bonucci, Sandro; De Sciglio, Bentancur, Khedira, Bernardeschi, Spinazzola; Dybala, Ronaldo |
Head to Head Record
Ajax haven't beaten Juventus on the European stage since 1973 when the Dutch outfit won 1-0 to earn themselves the European Cup in Belgrade.
Juventus have won five of their last nine games against Wednesday's hosts, with the remaining four matches ending as draws.
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The last time Ajax hosted Juventus in the Champions League was during a 2004 group-stage match in which the visitors won 1-0.
Recent Form
Both teams come into this fixture with impressive domestic records, as Ajax and Juventus are on course to win their respective leagues.
Despite Juventus suffering a surprising loss when visiting Genoa in mid-March, the Italian giants managed to bounce back and are on course for another Serie A title.
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Ajax will be looking to strengthen their squad confidence as they battle with PSV for the top spot in the Eredivisie, and they come into Wednesday's game off the back of some brilliant form.
Here's how both teams have got on in their last five games:
Ajax | Juventus |
Willem II 1-4 Ajax (6/04) | Juventus 2-1 Milan (6/04) |
FC Emmen 2-5 Ajax (3/04) | Cagliari 0-2 Juventus (2/04) |
Ajax 3-1 PSV Eindhoven (31/03) | Juventus 1-0 Empoli (30/03) |
AZ Alkmaar 1-0 Ajax (17/03) | Genoa 2-0 Juventus (17/03) |
Ajax 2-1 Zwolle (13/03) | Juventus 3-0 Atletico Madrid (12/03) |
Prediction
With both teams in excellent form, it may come down to a battle of nerves on Wednesday night and whether one team has the character to produce a result.
As with all Champions League quarter-finals, the result is settled over two legs, so Juventus could certainly turn up and play a little more conservatively than some would expect.
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Since their hosts however have already produced some shocks in their 2018/19 Champions League campaign, perhaps they can stun the Italians and come away with a win.
Ultimately though, with Ronaldo looking to return to the Juventus starting XI, it may be too much for Ajax to deal with.
Prediction: Ajax 1-2 Juventus
