Ajax vs Royale Union Saint-Gilloise

Johan Cruijff Arena is the venue as Ajax and Royale Union Saint-Gilloise go head-to-head in the return leg of their Europa League last-16 tie. 

Ajax claimed a precious 2-0 win in last week’s first leg in Belgium to set one foot in the next knockout round before demolishing fellow Eredivisie rivals Heracles 4-0 on this ground at the weekend to move two points clear of second-placed PSV Eindhoven. In doing so, Francesco Farioli’s men have extended their winning streak in all competitions to five matches, setting themselves up nicely for this fixture. History firmly backs Ajax for success, considering they’ve lost just once in their eight previous home games against Belgian opposition in major European competitions, with that upset arriving in October 2009. Furthermore, the Lancers have emerged victorious from four of their last five Europa League home outings, conceding just once in that sequence.

In the meantime, Royale Union had two first-half goals disallowed in the first leg, showing they could still make life complicated for Ajax in this tie. However, the visitors must bounce back from a dreadful 1-0 home loss to Jupiler Pro League relegation-battling side Mechelen at the weekend, which made it three defeats across their last five competitive outings (W2). Further skepticism comes from Royale Union’s unenviable run of just one win from their seven most recent away games in the Europa League (D1, L5). On a rare positive note, that triumph arrived on Dutch soil against Twente in November. Yet, progressing from this tie requires Royale Union to score 2+ goals, a feat they’ve not achieved on their last nine Europa League travels!