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Action resumes in the Eredivisie as Ajax and NEC Nijmegen go head to head at the Johan Cruijff Arena on Saturday evening. Having dropped two points just before the international break, both sides will be aiming to make a winning return to league action, and this makes for an exciting contest this weekend.
Read our Ajax vs NEC Nijmegen preview, prediction and betting tips below, while you can also find more of our expert predictions on today's betting tips page.
Ajax vs NEC Nijmegen key stats
- NEC Nijmegen are unbeaten in their last three games against Ajax, picking up one win and two draws, having failed to taste victory in the 29 games preceding this run (10D 19L).
- Ajax are without a clean sheet in their last six games against NEC Nijmegen, with five of their last six meetings seeing at least three goals scored.
- NEC Nijmegen are on a run of 11 straight matches without a clean sheet since playing out a goalless draw against Olympiacos in the Champions League qualifiers back in August.
- Ajax are unbeaten in eight of their last nine competitive home games, picking up six wins and two draws since May 21.
Ajax vs NEC Nijmegen: Both sides aiming to return to winning ways in Amsterdam
Ajax vs NEC Nijmegen — Tale of the Tape
| Ajax | vs | NEC Nijmegen |
|---|---|---|
| 11th | Position | 5th |
| 8 | Points | 14 |
| 12 | Goals For | 21 |
| 13 | Goals Against | 9 |
| 0 | Clean Sheets | 2 |
| 12th | Home / Away Rank | 3rd |
Ajax were left red-faced in their final outing before the international break on September 19 when they played out a 2-2 stalemate with Excelsior despite dominating proceedings at the Johan Cruijff Arena.
Despite finishing the game with less than 20% of the ball, Excelsior fought back from behind to take the lead, with strikes from Lennard Hartjes and Aymen Sliti cancelling out Julian Brandt’s 32nd-minute opener, but Tolu Arokodare hit back for the hosts in the 64th minute to force a share of the spoils.
Prior to that, Ajax suffered their first defeat of the season on September 5, when they were beaten 3-1 by defending champions PSV Eindhoven on home turf, before bouncing back with two dominant victories, edging out Fortuna Sittard 5-1 on September 12, three days before defeating Willem II by the same scoreline.
Off the back of a fifth-placed finish last season, it has been a solid start to the Eredivisie campaign for Ajax, who have picked up four wins and two draws from their opening seven games to sit fifth in the league table with 14 points from a possible 21.
Only Feyenoord (25) and PSV (24) have scored more than Michel’s side’s 21 goals in the league this season, highlighting Ajax’s strengths in front of goal, while they have kept two clean sheets and conceded nine at the opposite end of the pitch.
Like this weekend’s hosts, NEC Nijmegen were involved in a share of the spoils just before the international break as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Go Ahead Eagles at the Stadion de Goffert on September 20.
After Stefan Ingi Sigurdarson netted in the 10th minute to cancel out Perr Schuurs’s early opener, Go Ahead Eagles were guilty of a wasteful display in front of goal as they squandered several clear-cut opportunities to leave Goffertpark with all three points.
NEC Nijmegen have now gone five consecutive matches without a win across all competitions, claiming two draws and losing three, including a 5-0 hammering at the hands of Italian giants Juventus in their Europa League curtain-raiser on September 17.
Having recorded their best-ever finish in the Eredivisie last season, when they clinched third-place to earn a first-ever qualification for the UEFA Champions League qualifiers, it has been a challenging start to the new campaign for Dick Schreuder’s men, who sit 11th in the league table with eight points from their opening seven matches.
While NEC Nijmegen will be aiming to turn their fortunes around on Saturday, a dismal record against Ajax offers little encouragement, having managed just one win in the last 32 meetings between the two teams ahead of the trip to the Johan Cruijff Arena.
Ajax vs NEC Nijmegen form guide & betting tips
| Ajax | vs | NEC Nijmegen |
|---|---|---|
| WLWWD | Eredivisie Form | WLDLD |
| 11th | Form table | 5th |
| 5 | Points | 10 |
| 7 | Goals For | 17 |
| 10 | Goals Against | 7 |
| WLWWD | Form (All Comps) | LDLLD |
Whispers’ prediction: Ajax 3-1 NEC Nijmegen
Meetings between Ajax and NEC Nijmegen have often served up fireworks with plenty of goalmouth action, and we anticipate another exciting contest this weekend with over 2.5 goals scored, which is currently priced at 3/10 (1.30) by the bookmakers.
Ajax have been utterly dominant in the history of this fixture, and with Nijmegen struggling to find their feet in the new campaign, we are backing the home side to come away with all three points at 3/10 (1.30).
Five of their last six games have seen both sides score, making Ajax to win + BTTS – Yes at 5/4 (2.25) the high-value safe bet for us, while the correct score market has a correct score of 3-1 at 9/1 (10.00).
> Over 2.5 goals at 3/10 (1.30) | Likelihood: Possible
> Ajax to win + BTTS – Yes at 5/4 (2.25) | Likelihood: Possible
> Correct score: 3-1 at 9/1 (10.00) | Likelihood: Outsider