Champions League Qualifying: Nice vs Ajax
Published July 26, 2017 by Sol FH
A first meeting between Nice and Ajax this evening at 19:45 GMT in the third qualifying round.
This evening will be the first meeting between four-time Ligue 1 champions, Nice and 33-time Eredivisie champions, Ajax. It will be a tough match for both teams, as a win in this third qualifying round means they will advance to the playoff round in August, with hopes of reaching the Champions League. It should be an interesting match to watch, as both teams are still in pre-season mode, but Nice might have the advantage as they have kept their squad together from last year.
Nice are one of the oldest clubs in the world, having been established in 1904. Ajax are even older than Nice, being established in 1900 and have been one of the toughest teams in the Eredivisie, the Champions League (winning four times) and are currently ranked 21st by UEFA in their world rankings. Nice have not had such an illustrious modern-day career, as the last time that they had any real success was back in 1997, when they hoisted the Coupe de France trophy.
Nice were very lucky to hold onto their key players, as there was a lot of interest to take them elsewhere. They added a few new players to the squad including Christophe Jallet, Adrien Tameze and Jean-Victor Makengo, and they have looked very good in the pre-season with wins against Borussia M’gladbach, Stade Nyonnais, Servette, and Gent. They did lose a match to Slavia Prague, but they do look like they will be able to hold their own against Ajax.
Ajax just missed out on winning the Europa League, ultimately losing in the final to Manchester United 2-0. They only lost Davy Klaassen, Jairo Riedewald and Kenny Tete were acquired by other teams, but their key players, Davinson Sanchez, Hakim Ziyech, Kasper Dolberg and Amin Younes are all back in action for this year.
Champions League Betting
Bet365 Sports is your home for some of the most attractive and competitive odds on all of the qualifying rounds. Nice are the favorites to win this evening at 2.25, while Ajax are a bit behind at 3.20, which is actually the same odds as a draw in this first leg.
