Fans expect small victory for Ajax in CL semi-final; bookies favor Tottenham
Ajax is facing of against the Tottenham Hotspurs in London tonight in the first semi-final match for the Champions League. While fans are optimistic about the Amsterdam team's chances, the bookies currently favor Tottenham.
Fans expect a narrow victory for Ajax tonight, according to a poll by NU.nl. Unibet considers Totenham Hotspur the favorite, though Ajax isn't considered chance-less. At 1:30 p.m. the betting site offered 2.4 odds for a Tottenham victory, 3.4 for a draw and 3.2 for an Ajax victory.
Ajax made it into the Champions League semi finals for the first time in 22 years through a victory over Benfica, two draws against Bayern Munich and the elimination of Real Madrid and Juventus.
Based on recent figures, it will be a tough task for Ajax to beat Tottenham tonight, according to NU.nl. The English team has won the last four home games in Europe, and in the last three home games no goal was scored against them.
If Ajax wins against Tottenham tonight, the Amsterdam team will be the third club ever to win three away matches in the Champions League knockout phase. Only Bayern Munich and Real Madrid already achieved that - and both clubs also took the overall Champions League victory in those seasons.
Ajax played against Tottenham a total of 24 times in the past. Those matches ended in eight wins for Ajax, seven draws and nine defeats.
Tonight's match kicks off at 9:00 p.m. Ajax fans are already gathering on Leicester Square. The return will be played in Amsterdam next week, though tickets for that match has already been sold out, according to RTL Nieuws.
The other semi-final between Barcelona and Liverpool will be played on Wednesday, with the return happening a week later.
