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YOUNG GUN
Curtis Jones is the youngest opener in the CL for Liverpool (19-year-old 265d).
RELIABLE MR
At 34 years and 291 days, James Milner is the third oldest player to appear for Liverpool in the European Cup/Champions League, after Gary McAllister (37 years 84 days) and Ian Callaghan (35 years 353 days).
FOOTBALL ACADEMY
Ajax continue to produce the skill and when they lose one to the big ones, they move on to another.
– AFC Ajax (@AFCAjax) October 21, 2020
KLOPP SPEAKS
Jurgen Klopp spoke to BT Sport before tonight’s game, to remain positive, he said: “Curtis Jones is pretty good. That’s all. But also the stage, of course.
“We have some problems, so we have to make sure we can get started and how we can finish the game. That’s why.
“It’s pretty good. That’s why he’s playing. We don’t think about (absent Alisson and Virgil van Dijk), but they constantly ask us about it, so it’s hard not to think about it!
“But when we’re alone, you’re on the available players, and you go through everything you’ve got, that’s what you do.
“Football is based on the individual quality of the players, but not as much as you think. It’s about perception.
“You think of exclusive situations: ah, with Van Dijk it would have been different. Yes, but we can’t replace that.
“So we don’t think that way, we’re just looking to play the most productive football we can. “
Credits: Getty Images
HOUSE FLOOR
Ajax have won only one of their last seven home games in the UEFA Champions League (D2 L4), with two of the last 3 defeats of the opposing and English war matches: 2-3 against the Spurs in May 2019 and 0-1 opposites. Chelsea in October 2019.
YNWA
Liverpool are in a position to launch their Champions League crusade in the Dutch capital!
v Liverpool FC (@LFC) 21 October 2020
Two in the rebound
Liverpool have lost their last two UEFA Champions League matches (both against Atletico Madrid last season), while having suffered 3 consecutive defeats at the festival since October-November 2014 with Brendan Rodgers.
MAGIC MO
Since his UEFA Champions League debut for Liverpool in September 2017, Mohamed Salah has scored 19 goals at the Reds festival, the English club player of that period.
AJAX BANK
1 Stekelenburg, four Alvarez, five Klaiber, nine Huntelaar, 11 Promes, 18 Ekkelenkamp, 1nine Labyad, 23 Traoré, 33 Kotarski.
RED BENCH
14 Henderson, 18 Minamino, 20 Jota, 23 Shaqiri, 27 Origi, 46 R. Williams, 56 Jaros, 62 Kelleher, 64 Urin, N. Williams.
AJAX START XI
Ajax goes 4-4-2 tonight, it’s not too much of his game.
24 Onana; 12 Mazraoui, Schuurs, 21 Martinez, 1 Tagliafico; 6 Klaassen, 17 Blind (c), 8 Gravenberch, 7 Neres; 10 Tadic, 20 Kudus.
Ours to face @LFC!❌❌❌ – UCL #ajaliv pic. twitter. com/azm5AxxFIF
– AFC Ajax (@AFCAjax) October 21, 2020
LIVERPOOL START XI
Klop gets 4-3-3, Curtis Jones in midfield tonight!
Adrian begins with purpose for the Reds with Fabinho replacing the injured duo Virgil van Dijk and Joel Matip.
13 Adrian; 66 Alexander-Arnold, 3 Fabinho, 12 Gomez, 26 Robertson; five Wijnaldum, 17 Jones, 7 Milner (c); 10 Mane, 11 Salah, nine Firmino.
That’s how we line up for tonight with @AFCAjax ????#AJALIV
v Liverpool FC (@LFC) 21 October 2020
ONE TO LOOK AT
Roberto Firmino has been worried about 26 goals in 33 UEFA Champions League matches with Liverpool (15 goals and 11 assists), since his debut at the festival in 2017/18, the only other player to have scored more than 10 goals and made 10 goals. assists in this era is Kylian Mbappé (thirteen goals, thirteen assists).
Credits: Getty Images
DANGEROUS MAN
Ajax’s Dusan Tadic has played a direct role in thirteen goals in 18 UEFA Champions League matches (six goals and seven assists); the maximum of all players in the Dutch aspect since the start of the 2018/19 campaign.
EUROPEAN TOUR
It will be Liverpool’s first home match against the Dutch since September 2010, when he tied 0-0 against FC Utrecht in the UEFA Europa League. The Reds are undefeated in their last six home games to face the Dutch teams, keeping a blank sheet in 4 of them (W3 D3).
Credits: Getty Images
LOW FORM
Ajax have won one of their last six matches against English war matches at a European festival (two draws and three losses), with no victory in the last three since the 1-0 win over the Spurs in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-finals in 2018/19.
RED RECORD
Since their 1–5 defeat to Ajax in December 1966, Liverpool have remained undefeated in their thirteen matches against Dutch matches at the European festival (S8 D5).
HEAD TO HEAD
Ajax and Liverpool will face off for the first time since the 1966/67 European Cup, where the Dutch eliminated the Reds with a combined 7-3 win in the 16.
GOOD NIGHT!
Welcome to the Ajax vs Liverpool blog!
Liverpool will arrive in Amsterdam, the Dutch capital, before the start of the Champions League at the organisation level against Ajax.
Both groups have a point to prove, as both groups fled the festival early last season compared to last season when Liverpool won the festival and Ajax qualified for the semi-finals.
Jurgen Klopp will have to settle for the fact that he will not feature his star defender Virgil van Dijk, who suffered an injury to the Merseyside derby following a terrible challenge from Everton Keeper, Jordan Pickford.
Liverpool’s new boy Thiago is also in doubt about the attack, as he was also injured in the attack on Everton this weekend after a poor challenge from Richarlison, which resulted in a red card.
Things went from bad to worse for Klopp, with defender Joel Matip complaining of an injury after the weekend game, in search of a muscle injury.
The Reds will probably turn to defensive midfielder Fabinho to cover the missing Van Dijk and Matip, who are more than comfortable to take on the role of central.
Star guy Alisson will also miss tonight’s game, happens a week or two earlier, Adrian is probably the maximum to start with.
Tonight’s host, Ajax, will have to lick his lips while taking a look at Liverpool’s disabled list and, to make matters worse for the Reds, Ajax have an impeccable physical record.
We’ll have the whole team soon!
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