Ajax v FC Volendam

Ajax vs Volendam Preview

Ajax will be desperate to avoid a fifth defeat in all competitions when they play host to fellow strugglers, Volendam, in Thursday night's Dutch Eredivisie clash at the Johan Cruijff Arena with the hosts sitting bottom of the Dutch top flight table and the club in total disarray, while Volendam will be eager to build upon their recent comprehensive win against Excelsior on the weekend.

A heavy 5-2 defeat away from home at PSV on the weekend in the Eredivisie became Ajax's fourth defeat on the trot and followed previous disastrous results in the Dutch top flight in the shape of losses to AZ and Utrecht along with a Europa League defeat away from home at Premier League outfit, Brighton, in a 2-0 loss at the AMEX Stadium.

It's now 10 matches without a win in all competitions for the former Dutch giants and unsurprisingly, the Amsterdam outfit recently parted ways with former manager, Maurice Steijn, after having endured a miserable sequence of results which has placed Ajax bottom of the domestic top flight table.

There is a glimmer of hope though for Ajax as the hosts have won five of the last six meetings against Volendam and the hosts will be hoping that this trend continues on Thursday night as they attempt to lift themselves off the bottom of the table with a win here.

Volendam occupy third from bottom place in the Eredivisie table and therefore sit in the relegation play-off spot ahead of Thursday night's encounter at the Johan Cruijff Arena where the visitors will attempt to pile on the agony for their hosts.

Volendam have picked up two wins out of their last three league matches which have come in the form of victories over Utrecht and Excelsior, but it is worth noting that both of these wins were achieved on home soil at their Kras Stadion where they have posted just these two wins all season to date in the domestic top flight.

The bigger picture shows Volendam have managed to capture just these two wins though from their previous nine games overall in the Eredivisie whilst also stumbling to no fewer than six defeats within this period, so they too look a very vulnerable unit heading into Thursday night's basement clash.

To make matters worse, Volendam have lost all four of their away games so far this season as they have been dealt losses on the road at Go Ahead, Fortuna Sittard, PSV and Waalwijk respectively, while the visitors have now failed to win any of their last 13 away games as well.

Ajax v Volendam Verdict

Considering Volendam's poor record away from home in recent times which includes losing their last seven outings on the road on the trot, Ajax might just squeeze a narrow win here on Thursday night.

Therefore, our main bet will be Under 3.5 goals @ 2.00

Other side bets worth considering:

Ajax win & Under 3.5 goals @ 2.87

Correct score: Ajax 1-0 @ 13.00