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[monks data]
Young Boys
Europa League | Round of 16
Mar 18, 2021 at 8pm UK
Stadion Wankdorf (Bern)
Ajax

Young Boys
0 - 2
Ajax


Camara (38'), Nsame (90+4')
FT(HT: 0-1)
Neres (21'), Tadic (49' pen.)
Rensch (74')

Preview: Young Boys vs. Ajax - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Thursday's Europa League clash between Young Boys and Ajax, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Ajax travel to Young Boys on Thursday evening looking to seal their spot in the Europa League quarter-finals.

Three second-half goals in last week's first leg have put the Dutch giants in full control ahead of the reverse fixture at the Wankdorf Stadium.


Match preview

Ajax manager Erik Ten Hag pictured in December 2020© Reuters

After being drawn against a side who had defeated Bayer Leverkusen in the previous round, Ajax boss Erik ten Hag would have had concerns about a Young Boys side who possess quality in the final third.

However, his players were able to record the perfect result in the opening 90 minutes of this tie, netting a treble after the break and preventing their opponents from scoring an away goal.

While the Swiss side are not completely out of contention, Ajax will be confident that they can extend their unbeaten streak in all competitions to 22 matches.

Brian Brobbey scored a late third last Thursday night, a goal which came on the same week that it was announced that he was signing for RB Leipzig.

Nevertheless, the absence of Sebastien Haller means that the youngster will be provided with more opportunities to add to his two strikes in just 58 minutes in the Europa League.

At a time when Ajax hold an eight-point advantage in the Eredivisie, Young Boys are 17 points clear at the top of the Swiss top flight.

Four successive draws have undermined the dominance of Gerardo Seoane's side, but they have been left to cruise to the league crown during the closing weeks.

Seoane will still hope that his players can pull off one of the most memorable turnarounds of the campaign, with four goals having been scored against Leverkusen on February 18.

That said, even if their elimination is confirmed on Thursday night, nothing but positives will be taken from their run to the last 16.

Young Boys Europa League form:
  • W
  • L
  • W
  • W
  • W
  • L

Young Boys form (all competitions):
  • W
  • D
  • D
  • D
  • L
  • D

Ajax Europa League form:
  • W
  • W
  • W

Ajax form (all competitions):
  • W
  • D
  • W
  • W
  • W
  • W


Team News

Ajax's Perr Schuurs does not agree with that in the workplace on November 3, 2020© Reuters

Having taken the opportunity to rest players during the second half against PEC Zwolle, Ten Hag is unlikely to make mass changes to his Ajax XI.

Perr Schuurs is a booking away from suspension, a scenario which could lead to Jurrien Timber being brought into the team.

Seoane must decide whether to take any risks on goalkeeper David von Ballmoos, who missed the first leg due to concussion.

Michel Aebischer is a definite absentee for the home side after collecting his third yellow card of the campaign last week.

Young Boys possible starting lineup:
Faivre; Hefti, Lustenberger, Zesiger, Lefort; Fassnacht, Lauper, Rieder, Ngamaleu; Siebatcheu, Elia

Ajax possible starting lineup:
Stekelenburg; Rensch, Timber, Martinez, Tagliafico; Alvarez, Klaassen, Gravenberch; Neres, Tadic, Antony


SM words green background

We say: Young Boys 2-1 Ajax

Given the size of the task in front of them, Young Boys will naturally throw caution to the wind on Thursday evening. However, it is unrealistic to expect Ajax to go the full 90 minutes without finding an away goal that would effectively end this tie as a contest.



Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting a double chance bet on a home win or an away win in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Home/Away:curl



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Written by
Darren Plant

Data Analysis

Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Ajax win with a probability of 40.46%. A win for Young Boys had a probability of 37.89% and a draw had a probability of 21.7%.

The most likely scoreline for an Ajax win was 1-2 with a probability of 7.99%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-3 (4.99%) and 0-1 (4.71%). The likeliest Young Boys win was 2-1 (7.71%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (8.53%). The actual scoreline of 0-2 was predicted with a 4.4% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Ajax would win this match.


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Game History

How you voted: Young Boys vs Ajax

Young Boys
25.7%
Draw
7.9%
Ajax
66.4%
366
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