With just seven games left to play in the 2016/17 Eredivisie campaign, the fixture list has provided us with a match that could ignite the title race in the final few weeks.
Sunday afternoon will see second placed Ajax travel to current league leaders Feyenoord to play a game which could have a major effect on the outcome of the title race. Feyenoord currently lead Ajax by six points, but if the result goes against them this weekend, that gap would be shortened to just three, offering Ajax a real chance to wrestle the top spot away from their rivals right at the last.
To lose it now would be a real blow for Feyenoord, as they have led the way from the very first week of play. Until March, it appeared that Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side were running away with the title, but a shock defeat to city rivals Sparta Rotterdam earlier this month has shortened their lead. They have since recovered, recording back-to-back victories, but Ajax will have studied their weaknesses and know which areas of the pitch to exploit.
Despite that blip, Feyenoord will be confident of coming through the game unscathed. The club have only suffered defeat twice this season and both of those results came against teams in the bottom half of the table. The highflying club seem to step it up against the bigger teams, having claimed 11 points from a possible 15 against sides ranked in the top four. A victory at the Amsterdam Arena may be asking too much, but Van Bronckhorst would be more than happy to take a point from the game to keep Ajax at arm’s length.
However, Ajax aren’t likely to settle for a draw without a fight. They have dropped just seven points from a possible 39 at the Amsterdam Arena this season. They haven’t dropped a single point at home so far in 2017 and their last home defeat came way back in August. Likewise, they are also currently enjoying a run of 11 matches without defeat. Those statistics make for pleasant reading for Ajax’s fans, but the players will know that they need to double their efforts in order to keep that run intact.
Despite conceding just 17 goals in 27 games throughout the campaign, Peter Bosz’s side will be facing the Eredivisie’s most potent attacking outfit. Feyenoord have scored 68 goals in 27 matches at a rate of 2.5 goals per game, largely thanks to the outstanding Nicolai Jorgensen, who has 22 goals and 15 assists in all competitions so far. Regardless of Ajax’s defensive displays this season, it will take some doing to keep the Danish striker out on Sunday.
Both teams will be cautious of their opposition’s attacking power, but given the magnitude of what’s at stake for both sides, they are both likely to chase the victory, providing an action-packed 90 minutes which could end up determining the outcome of the Eredivisie season.