Ajax have no Champions League or Europa League football this season. Instead, coach Míchel's side begin their Conference League league phase in Croatia against Hajduk Split on Thursday. Ajax beat the Croatian league leaders in the quarter-finals in 1995 on their way to a famous Champions League triumph. How are Hajduk faring more than 30 years later? Voetbalzone asks Frane Marsic, a journalist who follows the club closely for Jutarnji.
By Rian Rosendaal
"Marin Soticek, Michele Sego and Abdoulie Sanyang are in top form at the moment. And then, of course, there is Marko Livaja, who has become an icon of the city and Hajduk's passionate fans in recent years," says Marsic when asked which players Ajax should watch on Thursday. Livaja, a 33-year-old centre-forward, suffered a hamstring injury in late September and will miss the Conference League encounter.
A familiar name in the Netherlands
Hajduk's coach is a familiar name in the Netherlands. Gonzalo Manuel García García, 43, has led Ajax's opponents, who currently top Croatia's 1. HNL, since 2025. The former Uruguayan midfielder and forward played for AGOVV Apeldoorn, sc Heerenveen, Heracles Almelo, FC Groningen and VVV-Venlo. He later spent a brief spell at FC Twente as an assistant and head coach. "He favours a modern style of play based on a strong work ethic, aggression and intensity, alongside plenty of attacking intent and a focus on scoring more than the opposition."
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García must bring Hajduk success in Europe this season, though Marsic says the Conference League is not an absolute top priority in Split and the surrounding area. "The hope here is that the team will pick up seven or eight points in the league phase. That is usually enough to finish among the top 24 teams and reach the next round. The approach, though, is to take it one game at a time. It is still too early to make serious predictions about the European matches."
Recent years have brought Hajduk precious little joy in Europe. Marsic saw them exit in the third qualifying round of the Conference League last season. "In recent years, Hajduk have suffered many unexpected European exits and a number of setbacks. The club were knocked out by weaker opponents, but this season they finally qualified for the Conference League, secured European football in the autumn for the first time in 16 years and managed to shake off many of the negative labels attached to them."
An upset against Ajax?
Ajax arrive in football-mad Split on Thursday. "The match against Ajax is probably the most important in the club's modern history. A real spectacle is expected at Poljud. People realise that Ajax are the stronger side on paper, but there is also a firm belief that Hajduk can get a good result at Poljud, in front of 35,000 spectators in a sold-out stadium. That would mean taking at least a point, or preferably all three. If the opportunity arises, Hajduk will go all out to cause an upset," Marsic says.
Imago
The iconic Poljud, which opened in 1979, hosted the first leg of Hajduk Split's Champions League quarter-final against Ajax in the spring of 1995. The crowd saw no goals. Ajax then won the return leg 3-0 to reach the semi-finals. "Older generations of Hajduk supporters reminisce about the meeting with Ajax in 1995, while younger generations want this match to become part of a new chapter in the club's history," the Croatian journalist explains. "In Split, this is seen as the ideal opportunity for revenge against Ajax."
More than three decades later, the clubs meet in Europe's third-tier competition rather than the Champions League. Ajax still command plenty of attention in Croatian football circles. "Everyone knows how big a club Ajax are. And this is probably already Hajduk's most important match of the season. It is also widely known, however, that Ajax had stronger and more talented squads in recent years. Ajax are still favourites, but Hajduk are, of course, aiming for a home upset. After all, they have not lost a single match at their own stadium this season," says Marsic, who saw Hajduk beat title rivals Dinamo Zagreb 2-1 last Saturday.
No Dolberg in Split
Hajduk's defence will not have to face Kasper Dolberg on Thursday. A serious knee injury appears to have ended the Danish forward's season early. Tolu Arokodare is normally the focal point of the attack in Split. "Dolberg's absence does little to change Hajduk's assessment of Ajax's strength, as the Amsterdam side still have players such as Adingra, Arokodare and Amrabat," says Marsic of the Danish striker's absence. "Dinamo Zagreb also had a stronger squad on paper, however, yet Hajduk managed to surprise them on Saturday. They will do everything they can to repeat that against Ajax at Poljud."
Imago
Ajax and Hajduk have met only a handful of times in Europe. In the legendary 1994/95 season, when Ajax won the league title unbeaten, they knocked Hajduk out of the Champions League quarter-finals. A season earlier, in 1993/94, Ajax lost 1-0 in Split in the first round of the then European Cup Winners' Cup. Louis van Gaal's side responded with a 6-0 win in the return leg at the Olympic Stadium.
Three days after Ajax's visit to Split, Hajduk face NK Varazdin, who are currently second in the Croatian league. The hunger for domestic success runs deep: Hajduk last won the title in 2005, 21 years ago. Arch-rivals Dinamo Zagreb have won it 19 times since. García could make himself immortal at the Whites.