Based on the statistics, we look ahead to the 22nd round in the Eredivisie. A victory is not yet entirely certain for AZ visiting Go Ahead Eagles and Ajax wants to take revenge for the earlier draw against FC Twente.
Strong away series:
At the moment, AZ is unbeaten fifteen (!) official matches in a row, after the cup victory at RKC last Wednesday. There has been no loss since the beginning of November. The Alkmaarders are unbeaten in seven matches outdoors, of which the last five were won: against Ajax, Fortuna Sittard, FC Twente, PSV and RKC Waalwijk.
Handsome place:
PhD student Go Ahead Eagles is in a respectable thirteenth place in the league table. Following AZ, the people of Deventer also qualified for the semi-finals of the KNVB Cup on Thursday. They beat NEC in the Goffert. Due to the earlier draw, they may only meet in the final.
Negative Profit Balance:
A victory of AZ in Deventer certainly does not seem to be an ABC in advance. Of the 26 previous encounters, 9 times were won by the visitors. They tied five times and Go Ahead won twelve times. The most recent meeting was on September 26, when AZ won 5-0 in the AFAS Stadium. Jesper Karlsson was accurate twice at the time.
Karlsson MVP:
Karlsson is the most important player for AZ in the Eredivisie. The Swede has been involved in 15 goals so far, including nine goals and six assists. Last Thursday he was important for the victory over RKC with a penalty. Spain’s Iñigo Córdoba is the ‘MVP’ of Kowet. The attacker was involved in seven goals: 6 goals and one assist.
Meeting with old club:
Sam Beukema wore the shirt of last season Kowet. He forced promotion to the Eredivisie with the people of Deventer and left for Alkmaar. Joris Kramer will play for tomorrow’s opponent, he is rented from AZ. Justin Bakker is also part of the Go Ahead selection, he also went through the youth academy of the Alkmaarders.
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Ajax – FC Twente
Teaser Queensy Many:
The team from Amsterdam is playing against FC Twente for the 54th time, of which 41 matches were won. Eight times it was equal and four times the points were taken by the Tukkers. Like last season, Ajax lost 1-2. The visitors’ goals were scored by former Ajax player Queensy Menig. Before that defeat, Ajax had been unbeaten for more than fifteen years in the competition against the Enschede team, in 2005 Twente won with the same figures as last season: 1-2.
Few goals against:
Earlier this season, the match in Enschede ended in a draw: 1-1. Top scorer Sébastien Haller had put the visitors ahead, but in the final phase Robin Pröpper equalized. That is one of the five (!) goals conceded by Ajax this season in the Eredivisie. The other goals came from Vangelis Pavlidis, Zakaria Aboukhlal, Django Warmerdam and Mario Götze.
Past at Ajax and Twente:
Current selection players Remko Pasveer, Steven Berghuis, Dusan Tadic and more recently Danilo Pereira all have a history in Enschede. Erik ten Hag was a trainer and player with the Enschede team. A few other players who have played for both clubs are Hakim Ziyech, Andy van der Meijde, Theo Janssen and Ronald de Boer.
7-0 biggest win:
The biggest victory for Ajax was in March 1992. Dennis Bergkamp (two), John van Loen (two), Aron Winter, Rob Alflen and current FC Volendam coach Wim Jonk scored the goals: 7-0. The top scorer of all time against Twente is Piet Keizer. He scored thirteen goals for Ajax in nineteen matches. Klaas-Jan Huntelaar is third on this list, which last year scored twice in Enschede just before his departure to Schalke 04.
Notable Encounters:
The duel between the two teams in 1980 produced a special scene. The Tukkers led 3-1 in Amsterdam, after which then technical director Johan Cruijff decided to sit in the dug-out. Trainer Leo Beenhakker saw it with sorrow and Ajax eventually won 5-3. Another remarkable edition was in 2000. The Amsterdam club had turned 100 the day before, but Twente did not want to participate in the centenary and won 0-1.