Ajax celebration planned for Sunday if they win Eredivisie title

Preparations are underway for a celebration honoring Amsterdam football club Ajax, should the team win its 34th championship in the top Dutch league, Eredivisie. A festival is planned for the ArenA Park area starting at 4:15 p.m., around the grounds of the Ajax home stadium. The players themselves are not expected to return from their match until about midnight. A win or a draw on Sunday's 34th round of play guarantees Ajax their fifth time winning the league in six seasons. If Ajax loses, they still finish atop the table should defending champs PSV Eindhoven lose. An Ajax loss, combined with a PSV victory or draw, means PSV will stand victorious. PSV did not announce plans for a celebration as of Monday morning, but an estimated 100,000 people turned out to celebrate last year's championship at Stadhuisplein. The last round in Eredivisie play sees nine matches taking place at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, with Ajax visiting Doetinchem, Gelderland squad De Graafschap. Ajax is tied on points with rival PSV going into the last week of play. Both teams have 81 points, but Ajax has a goal differential of +60 to PSV’s +54. PSV will take a trip to PEC Zwolle this weekend, to face a team they narrowly defeated, 3-2, in the 75th minute of their December 19 match. PEC stands at seventh place on the table with 48 points and a +4 goal differential. Ajax beat De Graafschap 2-1 with a 70th minute goal on December 20, but the Doetinchem team has only won two of its last ten, with three others ending in draws. De Graafschap team will almost certainly finish the season in 17th place of 18 teams, and will have to fight in a play-off to prevent relegation to the Jupiler League.