RSS
ATOM
advertisement
UEFA Cup Preview: Olympique de Marseille – Ajax
The UEFA Cup is back and we are now at the business end of the competition. Dutch side Ajax will be hoping to continue their European hot streak when they take on French outfit Olympique de Marseille.
| Bet: | Returns: | Ajax £34.00 | Draw £33.00 | Man Utd. £20.00 |
|
| Bet: | Returns: | Ajax £33.00 | Draw £34.00 | Man Utd. £19.10 |
|
| Bet: | Returns: | Ajax £34.00 | Draw £33.00 | Man Utd. £20.00 |
|
| Bet: | Returns: | Ajax £36.00 | Draw £35.00 | Man Utd. £20.00 |
|
| Bet: | Returns: | Ajax £35.50 | Draw £32.00 | Man Utd. £19.70 |
|
Mar 11, 2009 4:57:57 PM
Kick-off: Thursday, 12 March 2009, 20:45 CET, Stade Velodrome, Marseille, France
Consolation Cup
Olympique de Marseille entered the UEFA Cup with mixed views on the competition; it is not the trophy that they would ideally be competing for on the continent - but they are at least still in the race to win a major tournament.
They faced Dutch opposition before in the previous round, when they eliminated Twente after spot-kicks. Additionally, they met Eindhoven side PSV in their Champions League adventure and managed to hold them off, too.
Head coach Eric Gerets will look to use his knowledge of the Dutch game to give Marseille something of a head start against Thursday’s opponents, who, Gerets states, are a team he reveals he's not keen on.
“Ajax are a team I’ve never liked. They were our arch rivals during my spell at PSV. The people in Amsterdam have never liked me and I expect them to give me a warm welcome,” joked Gerets to AFP.
“Ajax and Twente are very similar. They play in the same formation and they both have some excellent attackers.”
Gerets may be well-versed in the tactics of his opponents, but he will have to do without the original Wiltord, who is cup-tied having already played in the UEFA Cup with Stade Rennais. Brazilian forward Brandao cannot play either as his former club, Shakhtar Donetsk, are also involved in the competition.
Domestic Trouble
Eredivisie giants Ajax were desperate to land their first league title since 2004 this campaign. However, their 2009 form has made it almost impossible to scoop up the Eredivisie crown and they have dropped to third spot on the table.
They managed to grab ten points from their last four league matches, but last Sunday’s draw against ADO Den Haag ended their dream of winning the Eredivisie. Table-toppers AZ have a solid fourteen-point lead over the Amsterdam side.
There’s no doubt about it, Ajax have one of the best attacks in Northern Europe. Players like Miralem Sulejmani and Luis Suarez have a bright future ahead of them and both youngsters will be eager to prove their worth at UEFA Cup level.
Holland international Maarten Stekelenburg is struggling to find his best form at the moment after having recovered from a shoulder injury, and Ajax manager Marco van Basten appears to have his doubts that the goalie will improve in the near future. Highly impressive youngster Kenneth Vermeer could be the starting goalie for Ajax on Thursday.
FORM GUIDE
Marseille
7 March (Ligue 1): Marseille 0-0 Valenciennes
1 March (Ligue 1): Caen 0-1 Marseille
26 February (UEFA Cup): Twente 0-1 Marseille
22 February (Ligue 1): Marseille 0-0 Le Mans
19 February (UEFA Cup): Marseille 0-1 Twente
Ajax
8 March (Eredivisie): ADO Den Haag 1-1 Ajax
1 March (Eredivisie): Utrecht 1-0 Ajax
26 February (UEFA Cup): Ajax 1-1 Fiorentina
22 February (Eredivisie): Ajax 2-1 Volendam
19 February (UEFA Cup): Fiorentina 0-1 Ajax
TEAM NEWS
Marseille
Eric Gerets will be without suspended strong defender Ronald Zubar, who picked up one yellow card too many on the way to this match.
Karim Ziani suffered a groin problem at the weekend and has been ruled out, while defender Hilton is doubtful due to a torn muscle.
Probable Starting XI: Mandanda; Bonnart, Taiwo, Rodriguez, Civelli; M’Bami, Cana, Cheyrou; Kone, Ben Arfa, Niang
Ajax
Ajax boss Marco van Basten will be without the injury-plagued likes of Gabri, Siem de Jong, Jan Vertonghen and Kennedy Bakircioglu.
Additionally, midfielder Evander Sno is left out of the match squad due to his poor form.
Eyong Enoh, Vurnon Anita and Dario Cvitanich all return to the match squad though.
Probable Starting XI: Vermeer; Van der Wiel, Oleguer, Vermaelen, Schilder; Lindgren, Enoh, Aissati; Emanuelson, Suarez, Sulejmani
PLAYERS TO WATCH
OM have been struggling to fire on all cylinders recently, particularly in an offensive manner. Left-back Taye Taiwo deserves to be picked out as he has been les Phoceens' best player during February, causing many opposition sides to panic with his strong running down the flank and excellent crossing. In addition, he’s been excellent defensively, too.
Ajax will rely on the individual class of Uruguayan attacker Luis Suarez. The tricky forward is not in his best form at the moment, but is always a player to reckon with, especially in the big matches. His mazy runs and intelligent movement will probably cause a serious threat to the French defenders.
PREDICTION
Based on their recnt form, Marseille don’t have too many reasons to feel confident of securing a good result. The French side lack the attacking power at the moment to worry the Ajax defence. However, they have been quite solid at the back and haven’t conceded a goal since their 1-0 home defeat against Twente. Ajax on the other hand aren’t exactly in their best form either. Therefore, I wouldn’t be surprised if neither of the two teams are able to find the net on Thursday evening.
Marseille 0-0 Ajax
Stefan Coerts, Goal.com
Consolation Cup
Olympique de Marseille entered the UEFA Cup with mixed views on the competition; it is not the trophy that they would ideally be competing for on the continent - but they are at least still in the race to win a major tournament.
They faced Dutch opposition before in the previous round, when they eliminated Twente after spot-kicks. Additionally, they met Eindhoven side PSV in their Champions League adventure and managed to hold them off, too.
Head coach Eric Gerets will look to use his knowledge of the Dutch game to give Marseille something of a head start against Thursday’s opponents, who, Gerets states, are a team he reveals he's not keen on.
“Ajax are a team I’ve never liked. They were our arch rivals during my spell at PSV. The people in Amsterdam have never liked me and I expect them to give me a warm welcome,” joked Gerets to AFP.
“Ajax and Twente are very similar. They play in the same formation and they both have some excellent attackers.”
Gerets may be well-versed in the tactics of his opponents, but he will have to do without the original Wiltord, who is cup-tied having already played in the UEFA Cup with Stade Rennais. Brazilian forward Brandao cannot play either as his former club, Shakhtar Donetsk, are also involved in the competition.
Domestic Trouble
Eredivisie giants Ajax were desperate to land their first league title since 2004 this campaign. However, their 2009 form has made it almost impossible to scoop up the Eredivisie crown and they have dropped to third spot on the table.
They managed to grab ten points from their last four league matches, but last Sunday’s draw against ADO Den Haag ended their dream of winning the Eredivisie. Table-toppers AZ have a solid fourteen-point lead over the Amsterdam side.
There’s no doubt about it, Ajax have one of the best attacks in Northern Europe. Players like Miralem Sulejmani and Luis Suarez have a bright future ahead of them and both youngsters will be eager to prove their worth at UEFA Cup level.
Holland international Maarten Stekelenburg is struggling to find his best form at the moment after having recovered from a shoulder injury, and Ajax manager Marco van Basten appears to have his doubts that the goalie will improve in the near future. Highly impressive youngster Kenneth Vermeer could be the starting goalie for Ajax on Thursday.
FORM GUIDE
Marseille
7 March (Ligue 1): Marseille 0-0 Valenciennes
1 March (Ligue 1): Caen 0-1 Marseille
26 February (UEFA Cup): Twente 0-1 Marseille
22 February (Ligue 1): Marseille 0-0 Le Mans
19 February (UEFA Cup): Marseille 0-1 Twente
Ajax
8 March (Eredivisie): ADO Den Haag 1-1 Ajax
1 March (Eredivisie): Utrecht 1-0 Ajax
26 February (UEFA Cup): Ajax 1-1 Fiorentina
22 February (Eredivisie): Ajax 2-1 Volendam
19 February (UEFA Cup): Fiorentina 0-1 Ajax
TEAM NEWS
Marseille
Eric Gerets will be without suspended strong defender Ronald Zubar, who picked up one yellow card too many on the way to this match.
Karim Ziani suffered a groin problem at the weekend and has been ruled out, while defender Hilton is doubtful due to a torn muscle.
Probable Starting XI: Mandanda; Bonnart, Taiwo, Rodriguez, Civelli; M’Bami, Cana, Cheyrou; Kone, Ben Arfa, Niang
Ajax
Ajax boss Marco van Basten will be without the injury-plagued likes of Gabri, Siem de Jong, Jan Vertonghen and Kennedy Bakircioglu.
Additionally, midfielder Evander Sno is left out of the match squad due to his poor form.
Eyong Enoh, Vurnon Anita and Dario Cvitanich all return to the match squad though.
Probable Starting XI: Vermeer; Van der Wiel, Oleguer, Vermaelen, Schilder; Lindgren, Enoh, Aissati; Emanuelson, Suarez, Sulejmani
PLAYERS TO WATCH
OM have been struggling to fire on all cylinders recently, particularly in an offensive manner. Left-back Taye Taiwo deserves to be picked out as he has been les Phoceens' best player during February, causing many opposition sides to panic with his strong running down the flank and excellent crossing. In addition, he’s been excellent defensively, too.
Ajax will rely on the individual class of Uruguayan attacker Luis Suarez. The tricky forward is not in his best form at the moment, but is always a player to reckon with, especially in the big matches. His mazy runs and intelligent movement will probably cause a serious threat to the French defenders.
PREDICTION
Based on their recnt form, Marseille don’t have too many reasons to feel confident of securing a good result. The French side lack the attacking power at the moment to worry the Ajax defence. However, they have been quite solid at the back and haven’t conceded a goal since their 1-0 home defeat against Twente. Ajax on the other hand aren’t exactly in their best form either. Therefore, I wouldn’t be surprised if neither of the two teams are able to find the net on Thursday evening.
Marseille 0-0 Ajax
Stefan Coerts, Goal.com
| Sign up with 188BET for a FREE bet up to £25 – Great Prices, Every Game |
|
| Open an account with Sportingbet today and get up to £100 in free bets! |
|
| Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25 |
|
| Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200 |
|
| Sign up with Paddy Power for a free bet up to £50 |
|
Thank you for your comment!
Please enter your name
Please enter your location
Please share your comment!
2 Comments
Advertisement
Inside Goal.Com
-
Capello remains one of the greats of the game
After tasting success wherever he had gone previously, the coach will look upon his time at Wembley as an incomplete job rather than a complete failure
-
Can Suarez repeat Cantona's grand comeback?
The divisive Uruguayan can look to history when he starts against United on Saturday for the first time since receiving an eight-match ban for racially abusing Patrice Evra
-
Key battles: Manchester United v Liverpool
The former Reds defender believes that the Uruguayan must put controversy to the back of his mind when his team face the champions
-
The importance of Champions League qualification
The Ruhr side's remarkable run in Europe's elite tournament saw their revenue unexpectedly soar last season, but some teams are structured to depend on such results to survive
-
Cartoon: Capello's managerial merry-go-round
Goal.com cartoonist Omar Momani gives us his unique take on the football news of the day ...
Advertisement
Advertisement
