Ajax hosts Aston Villa at the Johan Cruijff Arena this Thursday (7) in the first leg of the round of 16 of the UEFA Conference League. Both teams, who were already champions of the Champions League, are participating for the first time in the tournament, considered the third European division. Check out where to watch Ajax vs Aston Villa live below.
How the teams arrive
Villa arrive at the duel after beating Luton Town 3-2 away from home. Ollie Watkins (twice) and Lucas Digne scored the goals for the visitors. Thus, the Birmingham team won their third victory in a row and remained in a surprising fourth place in the Premier League.
In the Conference, Aston Villa was leader of Group E, with four wins, one draw and one defeat. Therefore, the team reached the round of 16 without needing to go through the knockout stage playoff.
For the match, coach Unai Emery will be missing defenders Diego Carlos and Tyrone Mings, midfielders Jacob Ramsey, Emiliano Buendía and Boubacar Kamara, and striker Jhon Durán, who are recovering from injury.
On the Ajax side, coach John van’t Schip will not be able to count on defender Josip Šutalo, who is serving a suspension for having received a red card in the previous phase. Furthermore, left-back Gastón Ávila and strikers Mika Godts and Steven Bergwijn are injured.
The Amsterdam team reached the tournament after finishing third in the group stage of the Europa League. Therefore, they had to face Bodo/Glimt from Norway in the playoffs of the final stage. In the first leg at home, Ajax snatched a 2-2 draw in the final minutes. In the return match, they managed to win 2-1 in extra time.
In the Dutch Championship, Ajax is coming off a 2-0 victory over Utrecht at home — their first victory in more than a month. Brian Brobbey and Kenneth Taylor scored the goals for the team, which occupies fifth place in the table with 39 points.
Where to watch Ajax vs Aston Villa
The match between Ajax and Aston Villa at the Johan Cruijff Arena starts at 2:45 pm, Brasília time, with live broadcast on Star+ (streaming).