RFS vs Ajax Prediction

Latvian side RFS face the daunting prospect of having to beat Dutch giants Ajax if they are to stay in with a hope of qualifying for the Europa League knockout play-off round on Thursday.

In the league phase, RFS currently lie third from bottom with just two points from six games, with those points coming from draws against Anderlecht and Galatasaray. Despite those impressive results, they have never been able to put consistent performances together, and lie on the brink of elimination as a result.

For Ajax, things have been far more routine. They sit in 11th on 10 points, with just a singular point separating them from the top eight spots, all of which would help them avoid the fuss of a play-off round, instead sending them through to the knockout rounds proper.

As the game approaches, here is everything you need to know about both sides ahead of kick-off.

Key Statistics

• Home side RFS have lost their last three games, all of which came against lesser opposition than Ajax (PAOK Thessaloniki, Riga FC and Maccabi Tel Aviv).
• This is set to be the first ever meeting between the two sides.
• Second in the Dutch Eredivisie, Ajax boast the best defence in the division, conceding just 17 goals in 19 games.
• However, scoring has been an issue for them in the Europa League, with first choice striker Brian Brobbey missing 8 big chances in the competition, placing only behind Victor Osimhen.

RFS Preview

RFS Predicted Lineup (3-5-2): Fabrice Ondoa (GK); Ziga Lipuscek, Herdi Prenga, Haruna Rasid Njie; Lasha Odisharia, Dmitrijs Zelenkovs, Stefan Panic, Adam Markhiev, Roberts Savalnieks; Cedric Kouadio, Janis Ikaunieks.

While they were massive underdogs coming into this season's Europa League campaign, RFS, based in Latvia’s capital city Riga, will want to make a fight of things, and with a victory over Ajax would guarantee taking their fate to the final day.

While they picked up impressive draws to Anderlecht and Galatasaray, they failed to pick up similar results against inferior opponents, a habit which has cost them the chance of being in with a real chance of stealing a knockout play-off spot.

They do however have a valid excuse. Their domestic club season ended in November, with RFS finishing three points clear at the top of the table, and thus they have just three games since the 10th of November, a period of over two months. They’ll give it a good go, but they won’t have the match sharpness to compete with Ajax here.

Ajax Preview

Ajax Predicted Lineup (4-3-3): Remko Pasveer (GK); Jorrel Hato, Youri Baas, Josip Sutalo, Anton Gaaei; Kenneth Taylor, Jordan Henderson, Davy Klaassen; Mika Godts, Wout Weghorst, Bertrand Traore.

After a catastrophic fifth place in the Eredivisie last season, Ajax have rebuilt well over the course of the new season, combining young talent with vast reserves of experience. As a result, they find themselves just a point behind league leaders PSV Eindhoven, in a campaign which looks set to go to the wire.

In the context of the Europa League, things have been steady but not spectacular. They started quickly, with three wins and a draw, but two defeats in a row have seen them drop out of the top eight.

The bonus is that in playing such an unknown as RFS, the probable win they pick up will give them a morale boost heading into their final league phase fixture against Turkish side Galatasaray, top scorers in the competition, and sitting pretty in sixth.

RFS vs Ajax Head to Head

The two sides have never played against each other before, with RFS only entering the European football scene in the mid-2010’s. It promises to be an intriguing clash, albeit rather one-sided.

RFS vs Ajax Betting Tip

Given their respective positions in the table, Ajax will be considered heavy favorites for this one, with a win guaranteeing them a spot in the play-off round at the very least, while also strengthening their chance of bypassing the play-off altogether, We reckon Ajax will win convincingly.

RFS vs Ajax Final Prediction

RFS 0-3 Ajax

Despite having home advantage, RFS simply do not have the quality to go toe to toe with the Dutch side, and will have to settle for a lot of defending. Ajax will ease past them, and put themselves right in amongst it in the top 8.