Ajax continue their Conference League league-phase campaign this week against Denmark's FC Midtylland in the third round of fixtures. The Amsterdam side are fresh from a 2-0 win over Atalanta and sit near the top of the Vriendenloterij Eredivisie. What can they expect from the relatively little-known leaders of Denmark's Superligaen? Voetbalzone takes a closer look at Thursday's hosts.
In Europe, Midtjylland have made a disappointing start. They took only a point against Albania's Egnatia (1-1), before Belgium's Sint-Truiden left the MCH Arena with a 2-1 win. They are still waiting for their first Conference League victory. The Superligaen tells a different story. Mike Tullberg's side sit firmly top with 31 points from twelve matches and nine domestic wins. Major title favourites FC Copenhagen trail them by five points.
A lot of quality lost
Midtjylland's form is all the more striking given the players they lost last summer. Striker Franculino and winger Aral Simsir joined Trabzonspor for €35 million, taking more than 30 goals and a string of assists out of the side. The Danish club also brought in €9 million from the sale of centre-back Han-beom Lee to Club Brugge and €6 million for frequently scoring midfielder Valdemar Byskov from AZ. Right winger Dario Osorio joined Crystal Palace on loan, with the option for Palace to sign the Chilean permanently next year for €32 million.
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Imago
To replace those key players, Midtjylland turned to the transfer market. Former Ajax defender Rasmus Kristensen arrived from Eintracht Frankfurt for €6 million, while the club spent more than €7 million on Venezuela international winger David Martínez from Los Angeles FC. Midfielder Kjell Wätjen swapped Borussia Dortmund for the Danish leaders, and Nordin Bakker left sc Heerenveen for Midtjylland. Friday Etim returned after a successful spell at Fredericia, while Mileta Rajkovic joined on loan from Legia Warsaw to strengthen the attack.
Passionate coach
Tullberg has played a part in Midtjylland's strong form. The ambitious 40-year-old from Farum had a modest playing career, which ended at Germany's Rot-Weiss Oberhausen in 2011. The former forward soon moved into coaching and joined Borussia Dortmund in 2019. He coached the second team and the Under-19s, then briefly took charge of the first team on an interim basis in the Bundesliga and Champions League in early 2025. At the end of the 2024/25 season, Tullberg stepped back at BVB, and the Midtjylland board appointed him a few months later.
Last season, Tullberg kept Midtjylland in contention for the Danish league title for much of the campaign. Aarhus GF won the championship, but his side claimed the national cup. Han-beom Lee scored in the 82nd minute of the final on 14 May to give them a 1-0 win over favourites FC Copenhagen. Midtjylland also impressed in Europe, finishing third in the Europa League league phase. Nottingham Forest proved too strong over two legs in the round of 16, ending the Danish side's run. Midtjylland could still take satisfaction from their European campaign.
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Nine yellow cards for his heated touchline behaviour in the 2025/26 season show how far Tullberg's enthusiasm can go. He coaches and encourages his team constantly during matches, demanding aggressive, energetic play and a forward press. Midtjylland are dangerous on the counter-attack, but Tullberg also wants them to control games and seize the initiative immediately. That approach leaves space behind the defence when they lose possession. He demands complete dedication and commitment from his players every day.
Links between the two clubs
Founded in 1999, Midtjylland are not one of European football's biggest names, but they signed Rafael van der Vaart in 2016 as his career wound down. The much-discussed move fell short of high expectations. Then-coach Jess Thorup regularly complained about the experienced Dutchman's fitness, and Van der Vaart played only 20 matches in total. In his second season, he rarely even made the matchday squad. He finished the 2017/18 campaign with just six minutes across two substitute appearances and watched from the stands as Midtjylland won the title.
Despite those sporting disappointments, technical director Claus Steinlein insisted in an interview with Ekstra Bladet that Van der Vaart's brief spell at the MCH Arena was not a complete failure. "We are still happy with him. Firstly, for commercial reasons. Shirt sales have gone up and there has also been more media interest. In addition, Van der Vaart is a real mentor to our young players. They can all see that, as a player, he brings something extra onto the pitch," the Danish official said in August 2017.
Before Ajax brought Viktor Fischer to the Netherlands in 2011, he spent time in Midtjylland's youth academy. Kristensen, now captain of the Danish side, also moved from Midtjylland to Ajax. The right-back could not establish himself there and chose Red Bull Salzburg in 2019, but has never regretted joining Ajax. "I gave everything for Ajax and still follow the club. The decision to go from FC Midtjylland to Ajax was the best of my life," the defender recently told Ajax Life.
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With first-choice goalkeeper Elías Ólafsson injured, Midtjylland have had a Dutchman between the posts for several weeks. Nordin Bakker seized his chance. The former Almere City FC and sc Heerenveen goalkeeper has now played eight matches, including the 2-1 win in the top-of-the-table clash with FC Copenhagen. Bakker looks certain to start against Ajax on Thursday. "I'm really looking forward to it. I was back in the Netherlands last week, and my family and friends have talked about nothing but that match," the North Hollander told Bold in early October.
Young club
Midtjylland came into being on 1 July 1999 when Ikast FS and Herning Fremad merged. The club's ambitious leadership wanted to build a football stronghold in Central Jutland. Midtjylland played their early home matches in Ikast before moving to Herning in 2004. After several second-place finishes in the Superligaen, they won their first title in 2015, an enormous milestone for a club only sixteen years old. They now compete regularly in Europe and attract players from outside Denmark. Their current squad includes players from Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Colombia, Germany, the Netherlands, Japan and England.
Previous meetings
Ajax face Midtjylland for only the third time on Thursday. The two previous meetings came in the 2020/21 season. On 3 November 2020, Ajax won 2-1 in Denmark after Antony scored in the opening minute and Dusan Tadic added another. A few weeks later, they won 3-1. Ryan Gravenberch, Noussair Mazraoui and David Neres scored in the second half before Awer Mabil grabbed a consolation goal for the visitors in the 80th minute. Midtjylland finished with ten players after Erik Sviatchenko received a red card in stoppage time. On Thursday, the Scandinavian side have another chance to beat Ajax for the first time in their history.
Probable FC Midtjylland line-up: Bakker, Maxsø, Diao, Bech, Kristensen, Bravo, Hyun-seok, Wätjen, Bak, Emefile, Rajović.