Unlike the rest of Europe, English football will continue on its high-speed trajectory over the festive period, with the games coming thick and fast. This is a tradition enshrined in the minds of football fans on the island, with Christmas and the New Year unfathomable without football. Over on the continent, every other European league will pause for breath to give teams some time to spend with their families, and to recharge their batteries ahead of January. In such a scenario, it can get quite frustrating for fans of non-English teams as they see the amount of football on offer across the Channel. However, there is a decent solution available for this, online and mobile betting on betting houses such as bet365. The app is free to use, thus making it easy for football fans to have a flutter while enjoying the festive season.
Last season saw Ajax claim a league and cup double, and yet there was a definite sense of deflation around the Johan Cruyff Arena. This was due to the Dutch side’s stunning late elimination at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League semi-finals; Lucas Moura’s hat-trick condemning Ajax to a scarcely-deserved exit. They rallied to win the league and the Dutch Cup after this, but there was a feeling that a fairytale ending for a superbly talented squad had been snatched away. The summer saw Frenkie de Jong and Matthijs de Ligt leave for Barcelona and Juventus; it was always going to be close to impossible to keep those two players in Amsterdam after their stupendous performances. However, the rest of the squad stayed put, with the likes of Hakim Ziyech, Dusan Tadic, Donny van de Beek and David Neres staying put. This season sees them leading the league once again, ahead of AZ Alkmaar by three points; however, there was crushing disappointment in the Champions League as Ajax failed to make it out of their group, dropping down to the Europa League instead. Admittedly, they were in a tough group alongside Valencia and Chelsea, and the 10 points they gathered would have been enough to see them qualify from four out of the other seven groups. Nevertheless, needing a draw on the last matchday against Valencia to confirm qualification, they contrived to lose in a very poor display, disappointing fans who had hoped for another deep run in Europe’s premier competition.
Fans looking to back Ajax in the league and in the Europa League can find some good value picks. They are mostly at evens for most matches in the Eredivisie, and so the Europa League is the best bet for some value. They have been drawn against Getafe in the round of 32, and are priced at a decent 2.60 to win the first leg away from home, and 1.40 to win the tie over two legs and progress. Their pedigree is reflected in the odds given to them to win the tournament at 7.00 even at this early stage. Thus, punters should look at the European fixtures to get value from Ajax.
