Excelsior Maassluis vs. Ajax: Match Preview and Predictions

Twenty-time KNVB Beker winners Ajax purpose to keep away from one other early shock cup exit on Wednesday once they journey to Sportpark Dijkpolder to face Excelsior Maassluis within the competitors’s second spherical.

The Amsterdam giants have gained 4 consecutive matches in all competitions, however hope to keep away from coming unstuck at this stage once more after dropping to fourth-tier membership Hercules Utrecht within the 2023-24 season.

---

Match preview

Third-tier strugglers Excelsior will search their Mats Grotenbreg on Wednesday when Ajax go to in midweek, aiming for somebody to attain the identical heroic standing as Grotenbreg two years in the past.

On that event, the centre-back scored a 93rd-minute winner for Hercules in a 3-2 victory over the Amsterdam giants within the second spherical in December 2023.

Geert Arend Roorda’s crew purpose to emulate the fourth-tier membership’s feat by gorgeous the Eredivisie heavyweights and wish to declare consecutive wins throughout all competitions.

Whereas defeating Ajax would offer an plain enhance, De Tricolores have larger home considerations, contemplating their precarious league scenario within the third tier of the Dutch soccer pyramid.

A 2-0 house success over Barendrecht on the weekend took them out of the relegation zone and into seventeenth within the Tweede Divisie, however they’re removed from protected after securing only one win of their final 5 league video games and 4 throughout 17 matches.

As such, beating Ajax presents a considerably uphill problem to the membership from Maassluis, who have been crushed 9-0 the earlier time each groups confronted off in January 2022.

The guests, subsequently, enter Wednesday as resounding favourites, a standing they all the time had anyway, contemplating the chasm in high quality between the golf equipment.

Fred Grim has turned the outcomes round for De Joden after a difficult begin that noticed his facet lose three consecutive matches throughout a five-game sequence with out success.

Since these disappointments towards Utrecht (2-1), SBV Excelsior (2-1) and Benfica (2-0), two of which have been in Amsterdam, the Jews have claimed 4 wins on the spin, despite the fact that blended performances haven’t mirrored the outcomes.

The Dutch giants have been lucky to defeat Groningen 2-0 after the FC facet normal high-value scoring possibilities earlier than Ajax’s first. 

Within the latter matches, the Amsterdam outfit defeated Fortuna Sittard 3-1 regardless of the dropping crew creating considerably superior goalscoring possibilities, De Joden then wanted three late objectives to overturn a 2-1 drawback in Baku to beat Qarabag 4-2 and hit Feyenoord with the old style smash-and-grab win on Sunday, beating the Rotterdam giants 2-0.

Given the vulnerability that also exists amid an imperfect successful run, it is going to be fascinating to see if Grim’s crew are shocked in Maassluis as they bid for a fifth consecutive win in all competitions for the primary time this season and the second time in 2025, following the same run from January to mid-February.

Nonetheless, the hole in high quality between the golf equipment factors to the guests having considerably superior high quality, even when Grim must shuffle the facet for the midweek journey.

Excelsior Maassluis KNVB Beker kind:

Excelsior Maassluis kind (all competitions):

Ajax kind (all competitions):

---

Staff Information

It was no shock when Quincy Tavares scored each objectives for Excelsior on the weekend, given the ahead’s menace on the left flank together with left-back Calvin Tureaij, who was not solely lively defensively but additionally a menace on the overlap.

Tavares’s brace took him to eight league objectives, considerably greater than Jannick Verbont (three) and underlined the left winger’s significance.

Nonetheless, Verbont appears to hold a superior inventive menace, owing to his three assists to Tavares’s one and key passes per 90 (1.2), surpassing the highest scorer’s 0.4 common.

Grim utilised a again 5 within the victory over Feyenoord however the interim boss ought to return to a four-player defence in midweek.

Ajax sustained no obvious accidents within the victory over the Rotterdam giants, however Steven Berghuis, Josip Sutalo, Wout Weghorst, Kenneth Taylor and James McConnell are all anticipated to be absent.

Whereas Kasper Dolberg may need led the road if Weghorst have been accessible, the Dane might be changed by Don-Angelo Konadu up prime; Konadu, 19, has had a couple of run-outs these days, together with in Baku, the place he arrange one of many objectives off the bench within the 4-2 comeback victory.

Excelsior Maassluis doable beginning lineup:

Fakiri; Varela, Ringeling, Udenhout, Tureaij; Van Eerden, Plank, Hamd; Verbont, Wennekers, Tavares

Ajax doable beginning lineup:

Pasveer; Alders, Bouman, Baas, Rosa; Steur, Itakura, Mokio; Edvardsen, Konadu, Moro

---

 

 

We are saying: Excelsior Maassluis 1-4 Ajax

 

Excelsior’s clear sheet on the weekend was their first shutout in six video games, however recording consecutive shutouts might be a herculean process towards the mighty Ajax.

Subsequently, the Amsterdam heavyweights ought to keep away from an embarrassing second-round exit in Maassluis by recording a snug victory.

For knowledge evaluation of the almost certainly outcomes, scorelines and extra for this match please click on right here.

---

---