Sparta v Ajax: Eredivisie Prediction

For a moment, it looked as though it might turn into a minor crisis, but Ajax have bounced back brilliantly over the past week. Following their 5–2 win over FC Groningen and their 2–0 victory against Atalanta, the Amsterdam side are once again holding their heads high. Their next opponents are Sparta, currently thirteenth in the Eredivisie. Will Ajax take all three points for the third time in a row? Or, somewhat surprisingly, will they suffer a heavy defeat? We’ll tell you more about this match and give you our Sparta v Ajax prediction.

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Sparta v Ajax preview

On paper, Ajax look to be the clear favourites for this match. And yet, Ajax found themselves in real trouble against the Spangen side last season. Before we move on to the best betting tips, we’ll briefly share the latest news on both teams.

Current Form & Team News

Sparta

What a relief it was that Sparta managed to win a home match last weekend for the first time in over half a year. Despite the 3–2 victory over Willem II, who are bottom of the Eredivisie, this has not yet been Sparta’s season. They were, for instance, recently beaten 0–4 by SC Heerenveen. Interestingly enough, however, they are doing well when it comes to scoring goals. However, having conceded 22 goals, they are the second-highest scoring team in the Dutch league. Will they be able to stop Ajax from scoring?

Ajax

Rogier Meijer and his Sparta side will need to come up with a solid game plan, as Ajax are scoring freely again this season, just as they always have. Indeed, the Amsterdam side have scored no fewer than 14(!) goals in their last three away matches in the Eredivisie. Of course, they’re still giving away too much, but it shows that you have to be sharp in defence. There was also good news from the medical staff, as both Steven Berghuis and Daley Blind have recovered from injury. They certainly won’t be in the starting line-up just yet, but it’s clear that competition within the Amsterdam side is heating up. Will they manage to win this away match comfortably as well?

Head-to-Head

Despite the fact that Ajax certainly don’t always have it easy against Sparta, Sparta’s last victory dates back to 3 May 2009. In the 20 matches that followed, Ajax won 16 times and drew four times. In short: Sparta know they’re in for a tough afternoon.

Predicted line-ups

Sparta (5-4-1):

Brouwer, Kuipers, Martins Indi, Verschuren, Young, Martes, Babadi, Hatenboer, Toornstra, Van Cruijssen, Zonneveld

Ajax (4-3-3):

Ter Stegen, Wijndal, Janse, Bouwman, Rosa, Amrabat, Mokio, Brandt, Tsygankov, Gloukh, Leonardo

Sparta v Ajax betting tips

Betting tip 1: Over 2.5 goals for Ajax

As mentioned, Ajax have been scoring freely in their away matches so far this season. In their last three away fixtures, against SC Telstar, Fortuna Sittard and FC Groningen, the record champions scored four, five and five goals respectively. We therefore believe Ajax will score at least three goals at De Kasteel, just as they did last season. Betting on over 2.5 goals for Ajax gives you odds of 2.00.

Betting tip 2: Jorthy Mokio will have more than 0.5 shots on target

One of the players in fine form at Ajax is Jorthy Mokio. The Congolese-Belgian is making his mark more and more and played a key role against FC Groningen, scoring twice. He was also a major asset in midfield against Atalanta, not to mention a number of excellent attempts on goal. We reckon the youngster will have at least one shot on target against Sparta too. If Jorthy Mokio has more than 0.5 shots on target, you’ll get odds of 2.25.

Sparta v Ajax Prediction

Final score: Sparta 1–4 Ajax
We’re predicting another comfortable victory for Ajax. We reckon Sparta will score at least one goal, simply because they find it fairly easy to find the net. Unfortunately, they concede a lot, which is why we’re predicting a 4–1 win for Ajax.