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Graafschap vs Ajax Prediction & Betting tips
Just like in 2016, the title fight seemed to be decided in Doetinchem. PSV unexpectedly lost to AZ, which means that Ajax almost certainly has the title. What remains is the duel with De Graafschap, which is already assured of a place in the after competition.
De Graafschap:
De Graafschap was unable to give a 1-0 victory over FC Emmen to a visit to Vitesse. With a victory in De GelreDome, the team from Doetinchem would still have a small chance of avoiding the follow-up competition, since number fifteen would have approached two points. It did not get that far, because Vitesse was no less than 6-1 too strong for a powerless De Graafschap. The only goal of the visitors was made at a 5-0 score by Youssef El Jebli. The midfielder started in Arnhem on the bench because of Ramadan, but also hopes to come into the field against Ajax.
However, there is a chance that Henk de Jong will save his playmaker with a view to the playoffs. De Graafschap can theoretically still be sixteenth, but the chance is very small that a point will be won against upcoming Dutch champion Ajax. That one point is needed to pass number sixteen Excelsior on the ranking, but that does not seem to happen. The Superboers will therefore come into action on Sunday, May 19 against the winner of the game between SC Cambuur and Almere City. For now, Almere City seems to be the biggest contender, because that club managed to keep Cambuur in a 2-2 draw in Friesland. The return will be played on Wednesday, May 22.
Ajax:
From a true nightmare to an unexpected dream afternoon. That’s how Ajax went last week. Tottenham Hotspur kicked the Amsterdam-squad out of the Champions League in the final second of the semifinals and less than four days later the penultimate competition match against FC Utrecht was scheduled. In recent years, Utrecht has always proved to be a difficult hurdle for Ajax, and the question was to what extent the Amsterdammers were able to recharge after the deception earlier this week.
After ninety minutes it has become clear that Erik ten Hag is in possession of an unprecedented strong selection. Although Utrecht took the lead in the Johan Cruijff ArenA within forty seconds, Ajax managed to reverse the early backlog in the first half by goals from Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Donny van de Beek. In the second half the Ajax players finished the job by scoring two goals from Dusan Tadic. Although the entire team made a strong impression, it was Hakim Ziyech who stood out the most against Utrecht. The Moroccan midfielder seemed to go the extra mile for the entire match and was a constant jammer for the Utrecht defense.
The afternoon became even more beautiful when it became clear that PSV had lost points in Alkmaar. Due to the 1-0 loss at AZ, Ajax has a three-point lead over PSV and the large difference in goal difference means that the team from Amsterdam will almost certainly be the Dutch champion for the first time since 2014.
Graafschap vs Ajax head to head matches
16.12.18 ERE Ajax Graafschap 8 : 0
08.05.16 ERE Graafschap Ajax 1 : 1
20.12.15 ERE Ajax Graafschap 2 : 1
23.09.15 KNV Ajax Graafschap 2 : 0
13.07.13 CF Graafschap Ajax 0 : 3