Tomorrow evening Ajax will play against the amateurs of Excelsior Maassluis in the second round of the KNVB Cup. In the vicinity of Rotterdam there is even a little confidence in a good result, because one can dream.
The first round went surprisingly well for Excelsior Maassluis. They defeated their namesake from Rotterdam, who, like Ajax, play in the Premier League. Now they can try it against the Amsterdam team. Gert-Jan Bunt is former chairman of Excelsior Maassluis and cannot wait for the kick-off.
Sparta Stadium
He does think it is a shame that it is not at his own complex, but in the Sparta Rotterdam stadium. All tickets for the match are sold out. Bunt: “How often does it happen that a club with 5,000 supporters goes to another stadium? That in itself is unique.”
It is therefore expected that there will be few people on the streets. “They either sit in front of the TV or in the stadium,” Bunt laughs. Today, there are still plenty of people walking in the center of Maassluis, with confidence. “Ajax is now starting to emerge a bit, so we might take advantage of that as Excelsior Maassluis,” says a market visitor. Another: “Yes, it is alive. You notice that everyone finds it fun and exciting.
And that also applies to the former chairman. It is not surprising, because on the one hand his club has already eliminated Excelsior Rotterdam and Ajax already lost to amateurs two years ago. Then USV Hercules was too strong for Ajax with 3-2.
If the amateurs of Maassluis also succeed, Gert-Jan Bunt predicts: “I think we will get a new complex more quickly, because it will be demolished. We desperately need a new one, so maybe things will speed up a bit.”
The kick-off is tomorrow evening at 6.45 pm.