October 18, Eredivisie: Ajax encounters a strong opponent at home, will it be impossible to escape its first defeat in the league?

Saturday 036 Eredivisie Ajax vs Alkmaar

In the last 10 meetings between the two teams, Ajax has 1 win, 3 draws and 6 losses. In the last 8 games, Ajax has lost 3 draws and 5 losses. It drew at home in the league last season and lost 1-2 away. In the last 4 home games against Alkmaar, Ajax had 2 draws and 2 losses. The two coaches Heitinga and Martens have met 3 times. Heitinga has 1 win and 2 draws. Martens has led the team against Ajax 4 times in his coaching career, with 3 wins and 1 draw.

Ajax drew 3-3 away from home with Sparta Rotterdam in the last round. They have lost the last two games on all fronts and only won one in the last five games. They are temporarily ranked third in the Eredivisie, 3 points behind PSV Eindhoven in second place and 1 point ahead of their opponent AZ. They are one of the only two unbeaten teams in the Eredivisie. They have conceded 10 goals, the second fewest in the league. They have won all 4 home games in the league this season. They will challenge Chelsea in the Champions League away game next week. Alkmaar defeated Telstar 2-1 at home in the last round and achieved their first win in the past four rounds. They are temporarily ranked fourth, with the same points as fifth-place Groningen. They have 2 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss away from home in the league this season, and lost to Nijmegen in their most recent away game.

Ajax has 7 players confirmed to be absent, including main goalkeeper Jalos, main center back Akira Itakura, main left back Wendal, and important rotations of midfielder and left winger Reiger and Goetz; Alkmaar's main center midfielder Krasi and main center Merdinck are unable to play. Whoscored predicts Ajax will lose 2-3.