{"id":16295,"date":"2025-10-22T09:30:14","date_gmt":"2025-10-22T04:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/?p=649720"},"modified":"2025-10-22T09:30:14","modified_gmt":"2025-10-22T04:00:14","slug":"chelsea-vs-ajax-head-to-head-match-preview-possible-lineups-and-score-prediction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/football\/chelsea-vs-ajax-head-to-head-match-preview-possible-lineups-and-score-prediction\/","title":{"rendered":"Chelsea vs Ajax: Head-to-head, match preview, possible lineups and score prediction"},"content":{"rendered":"

The UEFA Champions League is back with a mouthwatering midweek clash as Chelsea welcome Ajax to Stamford Bridge on October 22, 2025. This fixture marks Chelsea\u2019s 200th game in the competition\u2019s history and Ajax\u2019s 250th top-tier European outing, blending nostalgia with high stakes in the league phase. With both teams desperate for points\u2014Chelsea sitting 18th and Ajax 35th in the standings\u2014this encounter could define their European campaigns. Dive into our comprehensive Chelsea vs Ajax preview, covering head-to-head stats, key insights, predicted lineups, and a score prediction.<\/p>\n

Chelsea vs Ajax Head-to-Head<\/h2>\n

Chelsea and Ajax have locked horns just three times in competitive fixtures, producing some of the most thrilling Champions League nights in recent memory. Their encounters date back to the 2018-19 group stage, but the real fireworks exploded in the 2019-20 round of 16.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a quick breakdown of their head-to-head record:<\/p>\n

\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Date<\/th>\nCompetition<\/th>\nResult<\/th>\nScore<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Nov 5, 2019<\/td>\nUCL Round of 16<\/td>\nDraw<\/td>\n4-4<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Oct 23, 2019<\/td>\nUCL Round of 16<\/td>\nChelsea Win<\/td>\n1-0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Oct 20, 2018<\/td>\nUCL Group Stage<\/td>\nAjax Win<\/td>\n1-0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
    \n
  • Overall Stats<\/strong>: 1 win for Chelsea, 1 for Ajax, 1 draw. Goals: Chelsea 5, Ajax 4.<\/li>\n
  • Key Highlights<\/strong>: The 2019 Stamford Bridge thriller saw Ajax lead 4-1 with two men sent off, only for Chelsea to claw back for a 4-4 draw in a nine-man epic managed by Erik ten Hag. Chelsea edged the first leg 1-0 in Amsterdam, showcasing their resilience.<\/li>\n
  • Recent Trends<\/strong>: Chelsea remain unbeaten against Dutch sides in the UCL (W3 D1 L0), while Ajax are winless in their last 11 major European games against English teams (D2 L9), failing to score in the last five.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    These meetings underline a rivalry of narrow margins and high drama, but Chelsea\u2019s home dominance could tip the scales this time.<\/p>\n

    Chelsea vs Ajax Match Preview<\/h2>\n

    Chelsea head into this UCL showdown on a high, chasing a fourth straight win across all competitions after a gritty 1-0 victory over Benfica in Matchday 2, followed by domestic triumphs over Liverpool (2-1) and Nottingham Forest (3-0). Enzo Maresca\u2019s side sit fifth in the Premier League, blending youthful flair with defensive solidity\u2014Mois\u00e9s Caicedo leads the UCL in tackles with nine this season. However, injuries and suspensions plague the Blues: Cole Palmer, Levi Colwill, Benoit Badiashile, Liam Delap, and Dario Essugo are out, while Jo\u00e3o Pedro serves a ban after his red card against Benfica. Enzo Fern\u00e1ndez could return from a knee knock, adding midfield creativity.<\/p>\n

    Contrast that with Ajax\u2019s woes under new boss John Heitinga, who succeeded the sacked Maurice Steijn after a dismal start. The four-time European champions are pointless in the UCL, thrashed 2-0 by Inter and 4-0 by Marseille without scoring. Domestically, they\u2019re third in the Eredivisie but reeling from a 2-0 loss to AZ Alkmaar, conceding twice in each of their last six games. Absences include Kasper Dolberg, Branco van den Boomen, Owen Wijndal, Youri Regeer, and Steven Berghuis, thinning their ranks further.<\/p>\n

    Match Details<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • Date\/Time<\/strong>: Wednesday, October 22, 2025, 8:00 PM BST<\/li>\n
    • Venue<\/strong>: Stamford Bridge, London<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Chelsea vs Ajax Predicted Lineups<\/h2>\n

      Enzo Maresca favors a 4-2-3-1, rotating to manage suspensions and injuries, with Malo Gusto starting ahead of his Premier League ban. Ajax, under Heitinga, deploys a flexible 4-2-3-1, relying on veterans like Davy Klaassen amid defensive reshuffles.<\/p>\n

      Chelsea Predicted XI (4-2-3-1)<\/strong>: S\u00e1nchez; Gusto, Adarabioyo, Fofana, Cucurella; Caicedo, Lavia; Est\u00eav\u00e3o, Buonanotte, Neto; George.<\/p>\n

      Ajax Predicted XI (4-2-3-1)<\/strong>: Jaros; Gaaei, \u0160utalo, Baas, Rosa; Klaassen, Taylor; Edvardsen, Gloukh, Godts; Weghorst.<\/p>\n

      Chelsea vs Ajax Score Prediction<\/h2>\n

      Chelsea\u2019s attacking depth\u2014seven goals in their last three wins\u2014meets Ajax\u2019s leaky defense (2.3 goals conceded per away game). The visitors\u2019 goalless UCL run (two matches) and failure to score against English sides in five straight suggest a clean sheet for the hosts, who blanked opponents in two of their last three.<\/p>\n

      Our Prediction<\/strong>: Chelsea 3-0 Ajax.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      The UEFA Champions League is back with a mouthwatering midweek clash as Chelsea welcome Ajax to Stamford Bridge on October\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":217,"featured_media":37215,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[256,312],"class_list":["post-16295","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-football","tag-ajax","tag-chelsea"],"reading_time":"4 min read","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16295","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/217"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16295"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16295\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37215"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16295"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16295"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16295"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}