Preview: Ajax vs. PEC Zwolle - prediction, team news, lineups

At a time when the home side occupy fifth place in the standings, the visitors currently sit in the mid-table spots after an indifferent spell of form.

Match preview

While Ajax had potential for a revival when John van't Schip was handed the reins earlier this season, the interim boss deserves huge credit for delivering in what has been a pressure moment.

As well as realistically already being out of the title race, Ajax faced the prospect of no European football after Christmas, but they recorded a 3-1 victory over AEK Athens in their final Europa League group game on Thursday night.

Finishing third behind Brighton & Hove Albion and Marseille was not what Ajax had in mind, yet they now drop into the Europa Conference League with ambitions to lift that trophy.

Furthermore, Ajax are on a three-match winning streak in all competitions, four if you include the completion of their game with RKC Waalwijk, and they now have AZ Alkmaar and FC Twente in their sights in the race for third.

Although the gap remains at nine points, AZ's fixture with runaway leaders PSV Eindhoven this weekend makes it plausible that the deficit can be significantly reduced with a win in Amsterdam.

At a time when Ajax have scored 20 times in their last seven matches, PEC Zwolle have posted three wins from their most recent eight fixtures in all competitions.

That will be regarded as a positive return for a team that were in the second tier last season, and a 5-0 victory was registered away at relegation candidates FC Volendam on December 2.

However, over the aforementioned period, Johnny Jansen's side have also been dumped out of the KNVB-Beker and lost three of their last four encounters in the Eredivisie.

Despite sitting four points clear of the bottom three, there is no room for complacency in their final game before the winter break.

Ajax Eredivisie form:

W

D

W

W

W

W

Ajax form (all competitions):

W

L

W

W

W

W

PEC Zwolle Eredivisie form:

D

W

L

L

W

L

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Team News

Van't Schip will be forced into at least one change with Devyne Rensch being forced off during the closing stages of the game on Thursday evening.

Anton Gaaei is expected to deputise as a like-for-like replacement, while Brian Brobbey will be assessed having been withdrawn at half time of the same game.

While Steven Bergwijn remains injured, Steven Berghuis will return to the starting lineup, potentially as a replacement for Brobbey and Chuba Akpom moving into a central role.

A number of players are in contention to come into the PEC Zwolle XI after Jansen was proactive with his substitutions against NEC Nijmegen.

Eliano Reijnders looks likely to return in defence or midfield, maybe ahead of 38-year-old Bram van Polen, while Zico Buurmeester is in line to replace Ryan Thomas in midfield.

Ajax possible starting lineup:

Ramaj; Gaaei, Sutalo, Hato, Sosa; Hlynsson, Tahirovic, Taylor; Berghuis, Akpom, Forbs

PEC Zwolle possible starting lineup:

Schendelaar; Reijnders, Kersten, Lam, MacNulty; Buurmeester, Van den Berg; Namli, Druijf, Velanas; Thy

We say: Ajax 4-0 PEC Zwolle

Regardless of the short turnaround from Thursday night, we fully expect this to be one-way traffic. While the visitors netted five times in their last away game, they may not trouble the scorers on this occasion.

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