Villa to face Dutch giants Ajax in ECL last 16
After sitting out the last round having topped our Europa Conference Group, we had the novel experience of waiting to see who would be drawn to face us in the last 16. As it happens, the draw has paired Villa against one of Europe’s most famous clubs; Ajax.
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With respect to the other sides in the competition, this fixture looks like the pick of the bunch with Villa riding high in the Premier League, set to face four-time European champions Ajax. The only previous meeting between the clubs was in 2008 as Villa secured a 2-1 win in the UEFA Cup group stage
The studious Villa fans will have noted that the Dutch side have struggled of late and were fortunate in getting past Norwegian side FK Bodø/Glimt 4-3 on aggregate. Most reports have stated that Ajax were far from the better team over two legs, requiring a 114th-minute goal to edge to the next round.
Our opponents haven’t had it all their own way in the Eredivisie either, even plummeting to the foot of the table after eight games before recovering back to fifth where they sit now. Whilst they’re back on track, the eye is certainly drawn to the fact they’ve conceded more than 41 goals.
Some other interesting points of note include the fact that Ajax lost 2-0 home and away to Brighton, which saw them drop out of the Europa League. Further, Jordan Henderson, fresh from his embarrassing U-turn from Saudi Arabia will likely reappear on British soil. Henderson h...
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