Liverpool vs Ajax Betting Tips (13/09/22) – Reds Welcome Time to Reflect Ahead of Dutch Date

With Saturday’s game against Wolves postponed, it has given the Liverpool players and coaching staff time to reflect on what has been a below-par start to the campaign.

Points have been dropped liberally in the Premier League, and while it would be foolhardy to suggest that the Reds’ race is run already as far as the title is concerned, it will take a fantastic effort to reel in the Erling Haaland-powered Manchester City.

And their Champions League campaign got off to the worse possible start in that 1-4 drubbing at the hands of Napoli – a game in which the Italians probably could have scored six or more on the night.

The extra few days rest will have come in handy given that the fixture list shows no signs of abating even at this early stage of the season. Ajax are the visitors to Anfield on Tuesday, and while this Champions League clash isn’t entirely in ‘must win’ territory for the Reds, it will certainly be beneficial to get three points on the board.

Time spent on the training ground at Melwood will hopefully have enabled Jurgen Klopp the time to work on the defensive aspect of his team’s shape, with Liverpool so far conceding at a rate of more than a goal per game on average.

That’s not good enough – he knows it, his players know it, Reds supporters know it. The time is nigh to put an end to such defensive woes, and there’s no better place to start than the visit of Ajax.

Liverpool Team News

The extra days off since the Napoli game will have allowed the manager to work on the tactical side of his set-up, but has also enabled some game-heavy legs to enjoy a much-needed break.

That time should also allow Thiago, so vital to the Liverpool midfield, time to get fully up to speed, and we expect him to start in a trio which has – in various combinations – been under par so far this term.

Klopp will be forced to make one change – Andy Robertson has picked up a knee injury, and while details are sketchy at this stage it seems likely he will be out of the Ajax game at the very least. Kostas Tsimikas is most likely to deputise.

Fabio Carvalho should have been able to shake off the pain of a dead leg suffered last week, but he may have to make do with a place on the bench with Thiago joining Fabinho and Harvey Elliott in midfield.

Ajax Form

With no disrespect intended to those involved, the Dutch Eredivisie is a pretty weak league by all accounts.

Even so, it’s hard to diminish just how good this Ajax side is, and their start to the domestic campaign – W6 D0 L0, goal difference of +18 – speaks volumes as to their class.

Their opening Champions League game saw them romp to a 4-0 victory over Rangers in Amsterdam, and the xG map for that encounter suggests they missed two other good goalscoring opportunities too.

Liverpool will have their hands full, that’s for sure.

Liverpool vs Ajax Betting Tips

You’ll only get a best price of 4/7 about a Liverpool victory here, and that doesn’t really appeal but then neither does a wager siding with Ajax – if the Reds improve, they should win this game.

As a consequence we’ll need to look elsewhere for value, and maybe it’s down the right-hand side where Liverpool will have most of their joy. Mo Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold will be marshalled by two former Premier League players in Daley Blind and Steven Bergwijn, and surely the Reds duo will have the upper hand.

As such, we’ll take Salah at even money to find the net here, and we always favour there to be goals in the early going of these European nights at Anfield, which often get off to a frantic start. Over 1.5 first half goals, at 10/11, seems fair enough.