Ajax vs Atalanta UEFA Champions League Match Preview or Key Statistics 📶
Ajax and Atalanta drew 2-2 in their only previous meeting in European competition, with the Italian side coming from two goals down on MD2 of this season’s UEFA Champions League.
Victory for Ajax will see them reach the Champions League knockout stages, while Atalanta must avoid defeat to reach the round of 16 in consecutive seasons.
Ajax are unbeaten in their last seven games against Italian opponents in the UEFA Champions League, however five of these have ended in draws (W2). They were last beaten in the competition by an Italian side in March 2006, losing 0-1 to Inter Milan.
The away side has opened the scoring in all five of Atalanta’s Champions League games so far this season, with the Italian side winning both of their games on the road in the competition this term.
Atalanta are winless at home in the Champions League group stages this season (D2 L1), yet will qualify for the knockout rounds if they avoid defeat here. It will be just the fourth time a team has picked up as little as two points at home in a group stage and still qualified for the next round in the competition, after Roma in 2002-03 and Milan in both 2009-10 and 2012-13.
Having won their final group stage game in each of their first three Champions League campaigns between 1994-95 and 1996-97, Ajax have won on MD6 just twice in their last 13 attempts (including 2nd group stage), beating Milan 2-0 in 2010-11 and APOEL Nicosia in 2014-15 (D5 L6).
At 24 years and 284 days, Ajax have the second youngest average starting XI in the Champions League so far this season (after Dynamo Kyiv – 24 year 251 days), while no side has used fewer players in the competition so far this term than the Dutch side (19).
Dusan Tadic has been involved in five of Ajax’s seven Champions League goals this season (71%), scoring two and assisting three. However, he’s failed to score in his last eight appearances at the Johan Cruijff Arena in the competition.
Ajax’s opponents have averaged only 2.7 passes per sequence in the UEFA Champions League this season, the lowest opposition average for any side.
Atalanta have won each of their last four away games in the UEFA Champions League, and could become just the second Italian side to win five in a row away from home in the competition after Juventus between December 2017 and October 2018.
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