In the first leg of this year’s Europa League knockout play-off, 1. FC Union Berlin will face Ajax Amsterdam in the Dutch capital on Thursday, 16.02.2023. The match against the Eredivisie club will kick off at 18:45 in the Johan Cruyff Arena.
The lie of the land
When kick off comes on Thursday evening, it will start a game between two teams in absolute top form. Union have won six from six in 2023, showing their spirit and their ability to come back from whatever is thrown at them again and again.
In their victories against league rivals Hoffenheim, Bremen, Wolfsburg and Leipzig, they did just this having gone a goal down to each of them, while also underlining their own strengths in the air and from set-pieces. Seven of Union’s 13 goals this year came from a resting ball.
Hosts Ajax, meanwhile – record holders in the Dutch Eredivisie with 36 titles – are also on a run of four consecutive victories and are on an unbeaten run stretching back over eleven matches.
While they sat top of the league for a long time in the first half of the season, a series of draws before the World Cup break, and then on into January, caused them to slip down to fifth. It was only with their unstoppable recent run of twelve points from four games (a perfect debut for then interim, now permanent coach Johnny Heitinga) that they climbed back up to third and are still in the title fight, three points behind leaders Feyenoord Rotterdam.
The opponents
While Ajax are now third in the league with 43 points, the side who dropped out from the Champions League after an unhappy group stage campaign, are only fifth in the home table. After ten games in the league at the Cruijff Arena, they have picked up only 19 points, admittedly having done so with an average of almost three goals per game.
Their 59 goals in total are also an indication of the attacking football that has always characterised at their best. Current beneficiaries of their classic 4-3-3 formation this season are Mohammed Kudus with 14, and Brian Brobbey and Steven Bergwijn, both with 11 goals each. Ajax’s king of assists this season is captain Dusan Tadić, with 15 to his name.
The personnel
Apart from the suspended Christopher Trimmel and Janik Haberer, as well as the injured Andras Schäfer, Fischer can count on a full squad at his disposal.
The coaches’ views ahead of the match
“The change of coach has given Ajax stability again and so they are back in running for the championship” said Urs Fischer in his press conference on Thursday afternoon in Amsterdam. “They are a highly talented team that are used to a lot of possession, and and are good at extracting themselves from pressure situations. For us, it’s about getting a good starting position for the second leg, and that against – in my eyes – a Champions League level team. Overall, it will be very difficult for us.”
Ajax’s new coach John Heitinga, meanwhile, warned his players to be cautious of Union. “Union are doing a great job this year, it’s not for nothing that they are in second place in the Bundesliga. They fight to the end in every game and have many strengths. Whether in transitions or in set-pieces, we always have to stay wide awake. For that we need a lot of discipline and hopefully we will have a good day.”
Service info
Tickets for the match are no longer available, with both the home and away sections sold out. Further important travel information can be found here.
The match will be broadcast live on RTL+. As usual, Union will also provide information on the match in the club’s own live ticker, as well as in English on twitter