Fresh from a dramatic Conference League win over Atalanta, Ajax return to Eredivisie action, aiming to defeat Sparta Rotterdam in Sunday's gameweek 10 encounter at Het Kasteel.

De Joden scored two goals in the final five minutes of the game, including stoppage time in the second half, to beat the Serie A side, and now look to record a third consecutive win by beating their defensively leaky Rotterdam hosts. 

Match preview

Tolu Arokodare was the undeniable hero as Ajax left it late to get the better of Maurizio Sarri's Ajax on Thursday night, earning Michel's side a decent-to-good result in what looked set to end goalless.

The Nigerian then assisted Abdellah Ouazane minutes after his 87th-minute strike, helping the Amsterdam club avoid starting their Conference League campaign without winning their first two matches.

Having made an admirable start to life in the Dutch capital, the Wolverhampton Wanderers loanee is slowly making himself indispensable, and De Joden will lean on him when they travel to Sparta Rotterdam this weekend.

Ajax have had a mixed set of results either side of the international break, going three matches without success across all competitions, including a 2-1 loss to Hajduk Split in their Conference League opener.

The storming 5-2 win over Groningen last time out in the league was just what the doctor ordered, as they kept within touching distance of the division's top three, especially as PSV Eindhoven fell to a shock 2-1 loss away at ADO Den Haag.

Now one point behind the four-peat-chasing PSV, who face table-topping Feyenoord this weekend, Michel will hope his team capitalises on whatever outcome it results in, with either or both dropping points. 

Sparta will look to rain on the Eredivisie heavyweights' parade, having secured impressive results in this fixture in recent matches in Rotterdam.

De Kasteelheren have held Ajax to 3-3 and 2-2 draws in two of the last three encounters at Het Kasteel, with both meetings coming either side of a 2-0 success for the capital club.

Despite not beating the Son of the Gods since 2009, recent history has been kind to Sparta in this fixture: they have held the Dutch heavyweights to stalemates in three of the last five match-ups, following a 14-match losing sequence against them.

As such, Rogier Meijer will hope for a third positive result for the Castle Lords in four years and fourth in six years, and they head into the imminent match-up in fine spirits after picking up four points from the last two games.

However, the Rotterdam outfit have conceded five goals across both matches against Go Ahead Eagles (3-3) and their 3-2 win over Willem II, underlining an inclination to outscore the opponent.

Having conceded four goals each in consecutive losses to PSV (4-1) and Heerenveen, the superior quality of the Ajax side makes that approach ill-advised if Meijer opts to go all guns blazing against De Joden.

Sparta Rotterdam Eredivisie form:

Ajax Eredivisie form:

Ajax form (all competitions):

Team News

Shunsuke Mito is Sparta's only reported absentee heading into Sunday's match, leaving Mejier with a healthy squad to choose from.

While Mito typically packs a punch, the onus has been on Milan Zonneveld to come up trumps for the Castle Lords, even though he remains the only player to score more than two; both Lushendry Martes and Marvin Young have netted twice.

Julian Brandt has netted six goals for Ajax, two more than Thursday's hero Arokodare, who has assisted one in the league, bringing him to five goal contributions in the Dutch top flight.

The hosts can also rely on contributions from Davy Klaassen and Jorthy Mokio, both of whom have three goals and one assist apiece, while Oscar Gloukh has four assists as well as one goal.

Kasper Dolberg is an unfortunate absentee after a serious knee injury sustained during the international break in Denmark training, and he is joined on the sidelines by Daly Blind (back), Steven Berghuis, Oliver Edvardsen, Caio Henrique and Simon Adingra.

Sparta Rotterdam possible starting lineup:

Brouwer; Martes, Young, Verschuren, Martins Indi, Kuipers; Van Cruijsen, Toornstra,  Hatenboer, Babadi; Zoonveld

Ajax possible starting lineup:

Ter Stegen; Rosa, Kehrer, Baas, Wijndal; Klaassen, Amrabat; Tsygankov, Brandt, Gloukh; Arokodare

We say: Sparta Rotterdam 1-3 Ajax

Sparta’s recent home record against Ajax should give them confidence, but conceding 13 goals across their last four matches highlights the danger of adopting an open approach against the Amsterdam giants.  

The Castle Lords carry a threat at Het Kasteel, but their defensive record makes it difficult to envisage them containing De Joden’s in-form attackers.

With Arokodare increasingly influential and Brandt in fine scoring form, De Joden should capitalise on the hosts’ defensive frailties to record a third consecutive victory across all competitions and a second straight win in the league.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.