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PEC Zwolle
Eredivisie | Gameweek 3
Sep 11, 2021 at 5.45pm UK
IJsseldelta Stadion
Ajax

PEC Zwolle
0 - 2
Ajax


Redan (49')
FT(HT: 0-1)
Haller (29', 67')
Antony (26'), Gravenberch (51'), Mazraoui (78')

Preview: PEC Zwolle vs. Ajax - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Saturday's Eredivisie clash between PEC Zwolle and Ajax, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Looking to continue their fine start to the new Eredivisie season, reigning champions Ajax travel to the Mac3Park Stadion for their meeting with PEC Zwolle on Saturday.

Meanwhile, the home side are yet to pick up their first point of the season, losing each of their three opening fixtures, which leaves them bottom of the standings.


Match preview

Ajax manager Erik Ten Hag pictured in December 2020© Reuters

Ajax claimed a second consecutive 5-0 victory on home turf as they demolished Vitesse two Sundays ago in their last outing before the international break.

Goals from Antony, Edson Alvarez and Ryan Gravenberch put Erik ten Hag's men three up going into the break, before an own goal from Tomas Hajek right on the hour mark and a Davy Klaassen strike seven minutes later completed the rout.

De Godenzonen have scored 11 goals this term and only PSV Eindhoven - the only team with a 100% record to date - have managed to equal that.

They will now aim to continue their ruthlessness in front of goal when they take on a Zwolle side who have lost 11 consecutive meetings between the teams since 2015.

With a Champions League group-stage clash against Sporting Lisbon to follow four days later, Saturday's visitors will be hopeful of claiming all three points this weekend to give them a confidence boost for the trip to Portugal.

PEC Zwolle continued their poor start to the 2021-22 campaign as they fell to a narrow 1-0 defeat versus Willem II in Tilburg a fortnight ago.

Despite being on top for the majority of the match, a Gorkem Saglam strike in the 53rd minute condemned Art Langeler's men to yet another loss.

The Blauwvingers have now failed to find the back of the net for the third game running, while they are still yet to record a clean sheet this term.

While it still early days, Saturday's hosts will want to avoid being left too far behind, so an improvement has to be made at both ends of the pitch.

PEC Zwolle Eredivisie form:
  • L
  • L
  • L

PEC Zwolle form (all competitions):
  • D
  • L
  • L
  • L
  • L
  • L

Ajax Eredivisie form:
  • W
  • D
  • W

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



Team News

Ajax's Nicolas Tagliafico in action in March 2021© Reuters

After a nine-month ban from all footballing activities due to a failed doping test, first choice goalkeeper Andre Onana has returned to training.

Sean Klaiber and Mohammed Kudus are currently down with knee and ankle injuries respectively, ruling them out of this weekend's contest.

Noussair Mazraoui has been a constant attacking threat from left back, contributing directly to three goals in his last three appearances.

Sai Van Wermeskerken has not featured for Zwolle since he picked up a knee problem in February and the Japanese defender continues his spell on the sidelines.

Pelle Clement is a doubt for the visitors after the 25-year-old was forced off with a knock 23 minutes into the clash against Willem II

PEC Zwolle possible starting lineup:
Lamprou; Van Polen, Van der Berg, Voet, De Wit; Reijnders, Nakayama, Van den Belt; Paal, Tedic, Landu

Ajax possible starting lineup:
Stekelenburg; Mazraoui, Timber, Martinez, Blind; Alvarez, Gravenberch, Klaassen; Antony, Tadic, Haller


SM words green background

We say: PEC Zwolle 0-3 Ajax

Ajax were held to a draw in their last game on the road, and they will want to avoid suffering the same fate here. The Eredivisie champions have several weapons in their arsenal, and we fancy them to come out on top in a comfortable manner.



Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting over 2.5 goals 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.Over 2.5:data



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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 69.11%. A draw had a probability of 17.8% and a win for PEC Zwolle had a probability of 13.04%.

The most likely scoreline for an Ajax win was 0-2 with a probability of 10.69%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (9.68%) and 0-1 (9.21%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (8.33%), while for a PEC Zwolle win it was 2-1 (3.77%). The actual scoreline of 0-2 was predicted with a 10.7% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted a 0-2 win for Ajax in this match.


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Game History

How you voted: PEC Zwolle vs Ajax

PEC Zwolle
3.4%
Draw
6.9%
Ajax
89.7%
29
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Andre Onana in Europa League action for Ajax in February 2020
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Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1PSV EindhovenPSV16140256134342
2Ajax16113235161936
3FC UtrechtUtrecht1611323223936
4Feyenoord16105140182235
5FC Twente1694332201231
6AZ AlkmaarAZ1692530171329
7Go Ahead Eagles166462826222
8Fortuna SittardSittard166462023-322
9NAC BredaNAC Breda167181825-722
10Heerenveen166371728-1121
11Willem II165471718-119
12NECNijmegen165292220217
13PEC Zwolle164481525-1016
14Groningen164481426-1216
15Heracles163581833-1514
16Sparta RotterdamSparta162681424-1012
17RKC WaalwijkRKC Waalwijk1613121740-236
18Almere CityAlmere City161312737-306


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