Going Dutch: Ajax v Chelsea The Preview

Friday July 23 will mark an epic day of football for me as the two teams I support will face off in a friendly game in Amsterdam.  I will be at the stadium amongst the Dutch fans,  although I will be cheering for the mighty blues.

Chelsea are expected to continue resting the players who were on World cup duty, it is likely that they will line with a starting XI similar to the that which faced Crystal Palace. However the most notable absentee is Petr  Cech who has injured the same calf that he injured against Inter Milan in the Champions League last season.

I expect the young players like Daniel Sturridge  and Scott Sinclair to shine, this is their moment to show their true quality, as Carlo Ancelotti will depend on them and a couple of experienced players like Michael Essien, John Obi Mikel and Alex.

Ajax, who are the Dutch equivalent of Barcelona, having bred the likes of Johan Cruijf, Dennis Bergkamp, and most recently Wesley Sneijder. They are a very strong side with Suleijmani expected to lead the attack with both Luis Suarez and Marko Pantelic expected to be rested after playing in the World cup.

Oleguer, Champions League winner with Barcelona, will be holding the line in defense as Assiati and Jan Vertonghen will be in the center of the field .

Two other notable absentees are Dutch shot stopper Maarten Steklenburg and the young and versatile Gergory van der Wiel.  Ajax will also depend on the youngsters and the fans will be looking for a tough game because most probably these young players are the future of Dutch football.

Ajax who finished second last season with 1 point behind the side of our former young Star Miroslav Stoch  Fc Twente with a wonderful 106 goals in 34 matches. Ajax will look to start their championship hunt campaign with a win over the English Champions

Rudi’s Prediction: a tough 2-0 win for the blues