Overview
Ajax's form has not been very stable recently. In the 14th round of the Dutch national championship last weekend, coach Francesco Farioli's team lost 1-2 to AZ Alkmaar.
With only 2 wins in the last 5 rounds, the home team at Johan Cruyff Arena is now 9 points behind PSV in the championship race. Meanwhile, in the Europa League, after 4 unbeaten matches (3 wins, 1 draw), Ajax had to taste their first defeat against Real Sociedad.
As for Lazio, their spirits are high after two consecutive victories, both against Napoli. The Biancocelesti won 3-1 in the 1/8 round of the Coppa Italia and then continued to overcome their Naples rivals 1-0 in Serie A to close in on the leading group.
Before the 5th round of Europa League this season, Lazio was the leading team in the rankings with 13 points and an unbeaten record (4 wins, 1 draw). Marco Baroni's team scored 11 goals, conceded only 2 and had 3 clean sheets.
Besides, Lazio is playing quite stable away games with 4 wins in the last 5 matches. In both away matches in the Europa League this season, they won all 3 points. Therefore, it is highly likely that the Italian representative will again triumph in the Netherlands.
In terms of head-to-head record, this is the first time the two teams have met in history.
Human resources situation
Home side Ajax will welcome back Jordan Henderson, who was benched last weekend with a hamstring injury. Devyne Rensch could also return after a spell on the sidelines, but Sivert Mannsverk is out and Owen Wijndal is suspended.
On the other side of the front line, Lazio almost have the strongest lineup before this match. They will welcome midfielder Matias Vecino back from injury and Nicolo Rovella can also play after serving his suspension.
Expected lineup:
Ajax: Pasveer, Gaaei, Sutalo, Kaplan, Hato, Van den Boomen, Henderson, Taylor, Berghuis, Weghorst, Godts.
Lazio: Mandas, Lazzari, Gigot, Patric, Pellegrini, Rovella, Dele-Bashiru, Tchaouna, Pedro, Noslin, Castellanos.
The match between Ajax and Lazio takes place at 3:00 a.m. on December 13 (Vietnam time).