Preview: Emmen vs. Ajax - prediction, team news, lineups

Emmen will welcome Ajax on Saturday, after suffering a narrow 1-0 loss against AZ Alkmaar last week, with the hosts still searching for their first win of the 2020-21 season.

Ajax, meanwhile, will be in high spirits after their 3-1 win over Midtjylland in the Champions League on Wednesday night, as the Amsterdam outfit look to continue their good form in the Eredivisie this weekend.

Match preview

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Emmen will undoubtedly be disappointed about their start to the new season, having picked up just three points from their opening nine games.

The Kannibals were unable to gain anything from their previous trip to Alkmaar, with Lucas Bernadou being sent off in the early moments of the second half - resulting in their fourth red card already this campaign.

In fact, the last time Dick Lukkien's side claimed a point in the league was back in mid-October, when they managed a 2-2 draw against Fortuna Sittard.

With Emmen currently occupying 17th place, they will be desperate to pick up another point soon, however the likeliness of that happening this weekend seems extremely low.

Upcoming opponents Ajax are sitting at the top of the table, having picked up eight wins so far, with their only loss coming in a 1-0 defeat against Groningen in the early stages of the season.

Their latest league result ended in a comfortable 5-0 win against Heracles last Sunday as Zakaria Labyad scored a brace, with Lassina Traore, David Neres and Dusan Tadic also getting on the scoresheet.

However, their greatest achievement this campaign was their 13-0 triumph over VVV-Venlo last month, recording the biggest victory in Eredivisie history.

Their form in the Champions League has also been fairly impressive this season, with the Dutch giants currently occupying second spot in Group D, ahead of Atalanta on goal difference.

However, with Liverpool's shock defeat to the Serie A outfit on Wednesday evening, the race to qualify for the knockout stages of the competition is now wide open - with their upcoming game against the Reds likely to be pivotal.

Before their upcoming trip to Liverpool, they will need to travel to Emmen where Erik ten Hag will be confident to pick up the three points.

The last time these teams met was back in August during the 2019-20 season, when Ajax secured a 5-0 victory.

Emmen Eredivisie form: LLLLDD Emmen form (all competitions): LLLWLD

Ajax Eredivisie form: WWWWWL Ajax form (all competitions): WWWWWD

Team News

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Unfortunately for Emmen supporters, the hosts will be without Sergio Pena, after the midfielder picked up an injury on international duty.

Bernadou is also suspended after his red card in the previous match against Alkmaar. Besides that, Lukkien will have plenty of options to choose from for the upcoming match.

As for Ajax, the visitors have a few injury concerns heading into this game, with Antony and Mohammed Kudus set to miss Saturday's fixture.

Antony was stretched off during their Champions League clash against Atalanta last month, while Kudus is currently nursing a muscle injury.

Emmen possible starting lineup: Wiedwald; Cavlan, Van Rhijn, Araujo, Bijl; Caciano, Veendorp, Tibbling, Laursen; De Leeuw, Jansen

Ajax possible starting lineup: Onana; Mazraoui, Schuurs, Blind, Tagliafico; Klaassen, Gravenberch; Tadic, Promes, Neres; Traore

We say: Emmen 0-4 Ajax

Ajax have been ruthless against the lower league teams this season and fans will expect nothing less than a comfortable win for the current champions, especially against a struggling Emmen side.

Top betting tip