PSV and Ajax learn opponents in Champions League; Eindhoven side face two Dutch managers
Ajax and PSV Eindhoven found out their opponents in the UEFA Champions League phase on Thursday. Both sides face some tough competition, with the reigning champions PSV likely to have been dealt a tougher run of games.
This is the second season that the Champions League has had the format of a 36-team league. The top eight teams go through to the last 16, with the teams ranked ninth to 24th to face each other in the play-off round. Teams ranked in the places of 25th to 36th are eliminated immediately. Each side plays four games at home and four games away.
Peter Bosz's side travels to England on two occasions, facing the English champions Liverpool and Newcastle United. The Eindhovenaren also played Liverpool last season in the competition, beating a heavily rotated side managed by Dutch manager Arne Slot 3-2.
It is not the only Dutch manager that the Eindhovenaren will come up against. They will also travel to Leverkusen to face former Ajax manager Erik ten Hag. The remaining away game is against Olympiacos in Greece.
PSV’s home games are also not easy. They face the German champions Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid from Spain, the Italian league champions Napoli, who they sold their winger Noa Lang to last summer, and the champions of the Belgian league, Union Saint-Gilloise.
Ajax has a slightly easier fixture list. The Amsterdammers host last season’s Champions League finalists Internazionale, Portuguese side SL Benfica, and Olympiacos, and they face Galatasaray for the second season in a row. The Amsterdammers beat the Turkish team 2-1 in the UEFA Europa League last season.
John Heitinga’s side will face another former opponent away in Qarabag. Under their former manager, Francesco Farioli, they defeated the Azerbaijani team 0-3 in the Europa League. Their remaining away fixtures are against Chelsea, Olympique Marseille, and Spanish side Villarreal.
The order of the fixtures will be released on Saturday.
