Played
October 24, 2012 7:45 PM BST
Amsterdam ArenA — Amsterdam
Referee: S. Moen
Attendance: 45743
October 24, 2012 7:45 PM BST
Amsterdam ArenA — Amsterdam
Referee: S. Moen
Attendance: 45743
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| Ajax | 4.33 | 1.02 | 4.33 | 1.00 | 4.00 | 5.00 | 3.85 | 3.91 |
| Draw | 3.50 | 17.00 | 3.75 | 51.00 | 3.65 | 3.60 | 3.60 | 3.64 |
| Manchester City | 1.80 | 101.00 | 1.80 | 401.00 | 1.85 | 1.75 | 1.97 | 1.89 |
Ajax - Manchester City Preview: Both teams looking for first Group Stage win
Roberto Mancini's side have taken one point from their opening two games, and will be hoping to add another three in Amsterdam against Frank de Boer's winless squad
By Joe Doyle
| PROBABLE LINEUPS |
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AJAX
 Vermeer Van Rhijn, Alderweireld, Moisander, Blind Poulsen, Eriksen Sana, De Jong, Boerrigter Babel |
MANCHESTER CITY
 Hart Richards, Kompany, Lescott, Clichy Milner, Yaya Toure, Barry, Nasri Dzeko, Aguero |
There are no fresh injury worries for Ajax boss Frank de Boer following the 3-3 draw away to Heracles on Saturday, so unless he feels the need to change personnel, he could be set to name an unchanged lineup.
For Roberto Mancini, David Silva (hamstring) looks set to miss out. A possible return had been mooted for the game, and he could make the bench, but a more likely return for the Spaniard would be the weekend clash with Swansea.
Elsewhere, Javi Garcia (thigh) and Maicon (ankle) will also probably miss out, despite stepping up their exertions in training in the past week, while Jack Rodwell's hamstring injury, sustained on international duty, makes him unavailable.
| DID YOU KNOW? |
Manchester City had 15 players away on duty for their countries in the international break, compared to Ajax's six.
- Gareth Barry (pictured) and James Milner were part of an Aston Villa side that beat Ajax 2-1 in England almost four years ago to the day in the Uefa Cup group stages, with Barry scoring the winner. Gareth Barry is 185/1 with William Hill to score the last goal in a 2-1 win for Manchester City.
- Roberto Mancini's side have lost three of their four away games in the Champions League, having been in the competition the past two years.
- The two clubs have never met in a competitive game.
- Ajax's last victory over English opposition at home was in 1980 against Nottingham Forest, though they did beat City's rivals United at Old Trafford last season.
- The two bosses have faced each other before as players, with Mancini coming on as a sub in Italy's 1-0 win over the Netherlands in 1990 - the game where Frank de Boer made his international debut.
- Denis Bergkamp, the current Ajax assistant manager and former Arsenal striker, faced City nine times as a player, winning every game.
- Christian Eriksen has run the furthest of any player in the Champions League group stages, clocking up 26.075 kilometres.
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Field Report
Reader's Predictions
Top 3 Predictions
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Ajax 1-3 Manchester City
- 18.19 %
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Ajax 1-2 Manchester City
- 14.37 %
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Ajax 0-2 Manchester City
- 10.37 %
| UEFA Champions League (UCL) | 6 Nov 2012 | Manchester City 2 - Ajax 2 |
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| UEFA Champions League (UCL) | 24 Oct 2012 | Ajax 3 - Manchester City 1 |
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Ajax
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| 12 May 2013 | FC Groningen 0 - Ajax 2 | ERE |
| 5 May 2013 | Ajax 5 - Willem II 0 | ERE |
| 27 Apr 2013 | NAC Breda 0 - Ajax 2 | ERE |
| 19 Apr 2013 | Ajax 1 - SC Heerenveen 1 | ERE |
| 14 Apr 2013 | PSV Eindhoven 2 - Ajax 3 | ERE |
Manchester City
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| 25 May 2013 | Manchester City 5 - Chelsea FC 3 | FR |
| 24 May 2013 | Chelsea FC 3 - Manchester City 4 | FR |
| 19 May 2013 | Manchester City 2 - Norwich City 3 | EPL |
| 14 May 2013 | Reading 0 - Manchester City 2 | EPL |
| 11 May 2013 | Manchester City 0 - Wigan Athletic 1 | FA |
| Returns: | Ajax £43.33 |
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Sign up to Paddy Power for £250 in free bets | |
| Returns: | Draw £510.00 |
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Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200 | |
| Returns: | Manchester City £4010.00 |
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Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200 |
| 1 | Kenneth Vermeer | Goalkeeper |
| 3 | Toby Alderweireld | Defender |
| 25 | Niklas Moisander | Defender |
| 17 | Daley Blind | Defender |
| 2 | Ricardo van Rhijn | Defender |
| 5 | Christian Poulsen | Midfielder |
| 8 | Christian Eriksen | Midfielder |
| 10 | Siem de Jong | Midfielder |
| 19 | Tobias Sana | Midfielder |
| 20 | Lasse Schöne | Midfielder |
| 8 | Ryan Babel | Striker |
| 22 | Jasper Cillessen | Goalkeeper |
| 33 | Joël Veltman | Defender |
| 35 | Mitchell Dijks | Defender |
| 6 | Eyong Enoh | Midfielder |
| 7 | Miralem Sulejmani | Striker |
| 21 | Derk Boerrigter | Striker |
| 35 | Viktor Fischer | Striker |
| 1 | Joe Hart | Goalkeeper |
| 2 | Micah Richards | Defender |
| 4 | Vincent Kompany | Defender |
| 6 | Joleon Lescott | Defender |
| 22 | Gael Clichy | Defender |
| 7 | James Milner | Midfielder |
| 8 | Samir Nasri | Midfielder |
| 18 | Gareth Barry | Midfielder |
| 42 | Yaya Touré | Midfielder |
| 10 | Edin Dzeko | Striker |
| 16 | Sergio Agüero | Striker |
| 30 | Costel Pantilimon | Goalkeeper |
| 13 | Aleksandar Kolarov | Defender |
| 33 | Matija Nastasic | Defender |
| 11 | Scott Sinclair | Midfielder |
| - | George Evans | Midfielder |
| 32 | Carlos Tévez | Striker |
| 45 | Mario Balotelli | Striker |
| Christian Eriksen | |
| Position: | Midfielder |
| Squad Number: | 8 |
| Games | Goals | YC | RC |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
The midfielder has been one of the hottest properties in Europe in recent years, but is yet to move away from Amsterdam, and will be looking to put in a top performance against the English champions. His speed of movement and thought could prove tricky for a City backline that has looked ponderous at times this season.
| Edin Dzeko | |
| Position: | Striker |
| Squad Number: | 10 |
| Games | Goals | YC | RC |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
It will be interesting to see whether Roberto Mancini decides to start the Bosnian striker, who has won his side points recently against both Fulham and West Brom. However, the striker said he wasn't content with a "super-sub" role after his two-goal cameo at the weekend, and will definitely want to make an impact from the start in the Netherlands.
With both teams stuttering in their opening two matches, neither side can really claim to be favourites in certainly the most competitive group in this year's Champions League. However, judging on the hosts' last outing against Real Madrid, City's attacking prowess could be difficult for them to stop.
Match News
Top Scorers
| Player | Goals | Penalties | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Cristiano Ronaldo Striker Real Madrid |
12 | 0 |
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Robert Lewandowski Striker Borussia Dortmund |
10 | 1 |
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Thomas Müller Striker Bayern Munich |
8 | 1 |
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Lionel Messi Striker Barcelona |
8 | 0 |
|
Burak Yılmaz Striker Galatasaray |
8 | 0 |
