WCL: Chelsea vs Ajax women prediction, team news, lineups
Chelsea WFC face Ajax Women on Wednesday night at Stamford Bridge for the second leg of the Women’s Champions League quarter-final.
Chelsea look set to cruise to the semis after they beat Ajax 3-0 at the Johan Cruyff Arena last week in the first leg.
Venue: Stamford Bridge
Kick-off: 8:00 pm
Where to Watch: DAZN YouTube Channel
Chelsea vs Ajax women Champions League match preview
Chelsea are poised to advance to the Champions League semi-finals for the second consecutive season following a commanding performance in Amsterdam.
Lauren James opened the scoring in the 19th minute, followed by Sjoeke Nusken’s brace, granting the Blues a substantial three-goal lead in the tie.
Under Emma Hayes’s guidance, Chelsea continued their winning streak in Sunday’s away fixture against West Ham United. Aggie-Beever Jones and Erin Cuthbert each found the net, securing a 2-0 victory and maintaining their position atop the Women’s Super League table on goal difference.
With six consecutive wins under their belt, Chelsea enter the second leg on Wednesday with considerable momentum, aiming to uphold their flawless record in Champions League quarter-final ties.
Backed by a solid defensive record, having kept clean sheets in five of their last six matches, Chelsea are confident in their ability to thwart any comeback attempts by Ajax.
Due to Chelsea’s formidable defence, Ajax faces a daunting task to avoid disappointment in their inaugural European quarter-final appearance.
Despite a commendable campaign leading up to the first leg, where they amassed 10 points from six matches, surpassing Bayern Munich and Roma in a challenging group, Ajax faced setbacks last week, underscoring the necessity for a remarkable performance.
To progress to the semi-finals, Ajax must accomplish what no team has done since Man City in March 2023: score three goals in an away game against Chelsea. However, their European away record this season hasn’t been promising, with one draw and two losses in three away group matches.
Suzanne Bakker’s squad, though, heads to England buoyed by a positive weekend result, as Romee Leuchter’s hat-trick secured a 3-2 victory over PEC Zwolle.
Chelsea vs Ajax team news
Chelsea continue to be without the services of Millie Bright, Aniek Nouwen, Maren Mjelde, Mia Fishel, and Sam Kerr.
Mayra Ramirez, who returned from injury to feature as a substitute in Sunday’s victory over West Ham, could potentially be included in the lineup.
Guro Reiten, Eve Perisset, and Cuthbert were benched during the weekend match but are expected to be reinstated for Wednesday’s second leg.
Meanwhile, the visitors will be missing 16-year-old midfielder Lily Yohannes, suspended due to accumulating yellow cards.
Sherida Spitse, who served a one-match ban in the first leg, will be available for Ajax’s trip to the English capital.
Ajax’s hopes of staging a comeback may rest on the shoulders of Leuchter, who has netted 10 goals in the last seven competitive matches.
Chelsea vs Ajax potential lineups
Chelsea possible starting lineup:
Hampton; Perisset, Carter, Buchanan, Charles; Cuthbert, Leupolz; James, Nusken, Reiten; Ramirez
Ajax possible starting lineup:
Van Eijk; Keijzer, Spitse, De Sanders, De Klonia; N Noordam, Van Gool, Sabajo; Grant, Jansen, Leuchter
Predictions
Chelsea know that they do not have to win Wednesday’s second leg to progress, but with Ajax needing to take risks, we think that the Blues will exploit any space left in behind to claim a victory and ease through to the semi-finals.