On Thursday, regular European competition participants will face off at the Johan Cruyff Arena, although their current level only allows them to compete in the second-tier tournament.
Ajax struggled for more than half of last season and barely made it to European competitions, having to start from the second qualifying round. The Dutch club was almost eliminated in the third round but advanced in a thrilling penalty shootout (13:12) against Panathinaikos (1:0, 0:1). In the Eredivisie, they already suffered setbacks, losing to NAC Breda (1:2) and drawing with Go Ahead Eagles (1:1), both times away. At home, the team has not conceded and has been winning (except for that match against the Greeks), but they have yet to face real tests. Beşiktaş will be just that.
The Istanbul side currently sits third in the Turkish Süper Lig, but due to the nature of the league, they have played one game fewer than their higher-placed rivals, Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray. The team only dropped points against a surprisingly low-ranked Trabzonspor, drawing 1:1 away. There were also two away games. In the first round, they defeated Samsunspor (2:0), who are right below them, and played a high-scoring draw with Lugano (3:3), whom they had to overcome to reach the main stage of the Europa League. In Istanbul, the Swiss side had no chance (1:5).
The Turkish club has been playing effectively and has not lost away from home. Ajax have convincingly beaten only clearly weaker teams, so we believe Beşiktaş, at the very least, will not lose.
