Group A in the Champions League gets underway when Rangers make the trip to Amsterdam to take on a red hot Ajax. George Gamble picks out a best bet.
Ajax have endured a difficult summer after losing boss Erik ten Hag, defender Lisandro Martinez and attacker Anthony to Manchester United.
But they’ve won all of their five matches so far, the last three to nil, and welcome a Rangers side low on confidence.
The hosts can finally concentrate on their football after being raided by the Old Trafford club. They have lost a number of key players but have also made some shrewd acquisitions to allay any fears of a drop in quality.
Kick-off time: 17:45 BST, Wednesday
TV Channel: BT Sport 4
One player that Ajax identified was defender Calvin Bassey who they signed from none other than Rangers, which adds another sub plot as he is expected to start here against his former employers.
New boss Alfred Schreuder has guided his side to a 100% start after five matches and now he will look to continue that form in this Champions League opener.
He’ll be confident they can claim victory here given the visitors are coming into this one off the back of an embarrassing 4-0 defeat in the Old Firm derby against Celtic at the weekend.
Rangers manager Giovanni Van Bronckhorst will be met with a hostile atmosphere after his connections with De Klassieker rivals Feyenoord which will add some spice to this encounter.
Remarkably, Rangers made it to the Europa League final last season despite winning just one of their eight matches away from Ibrox. They do not travel well on the European stage and their confidence will have taken a knock after their most recent defeat.
Ajax have conceded just once at home so far this campaign and Infogol's performance-based expected goals (xG) table suggest that they have outperformed their xG by 2.4 goals.
It shows how efficient they are at creating chances and making sure that they take them.
After being humiliated by Celtic, the last thing a deflated Rangers would want is a trip to a dominant Ajax. The 6/5 on the hosts covering a -1.5 ASIAN HANDICAP makes plenty of appeal given how frequently Rangers suffer from homesickness on the road.
Ajax v Rangers best bets and score prediction
- 2pts Ajax -1.5 Asian Handicap at 6/5 (General)
Score prediction: Ajax 3-1 Rangers (Sky Bet odds: 9/1)
Odds correct at 1545 BST (06/09/22)
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