Ajax vs Galatasaray Prediction 30 January 2025

🔊 Can Galatasaray make it to the top 8 of the Europa League? A draw will likely not be enough for this. Therefore, the visitors will play for a win at the “Johan Cruyff Arena” in Amsterdam. Moreover, they have nothing to lose, as they will reach the Round of 32 regardless, but there is a chance to skip this round. Ajax will also definitely play in the playoffs, but they will not reach the top eight. In such a situation, the game could be one of the most spectacular in the eighth round. However, we will consider different options to make the prediction optimal.

📊 Head-to-head

The opponents have not met in official matches before.

⚪ Ajax

This season marks a sort of revival for Ajax. At least in the Eredivisie, they are only four points behind the leading PSV with a game in hand, so the fight for the championship is still ahead. Moreover, the team skipped a round last weekend to prepare for Galatasaray, although there is no serious tournament motivation anymore. In the last round, Ajax surprisingly stumbled in Riga, losing to RFS (0:1). However, the score does not reflect the nature of the match, as the visitors had at least three scoring opportunities. It should be noted that this is already the third consecutive defeat for Francesco Farioli's team. Before that, they lost to Real Sociedad without scoring (0:2), and then to Lazio with the same margin (1:3). However, Ajax has experience facing Turkish teams. For instance, in the first round, they thrashed Besiktas in Amsterdam (4:0). Note that Klaassen, Tahirovic, Wijndal are out due to injuries, and Regeer, who transferred from Twente in January, cannot yet be registered, although he is also listed as injured. Van den Boomen will miss the game due to an accumulation of yellow cards.

🟠 Galatasaray

Galatasaray is leading the Turkish Super Lig, ahead of Fenerbahce by six points. However, much will depend on whether Victor Osimhen stays until the end of the season or not, as Mauro Icardi is injured. In case the Nigerian leaves, the club signed Ahmed Kutucu, who showed himself well at Eyupspor. However, the newcomer cannot yet be registered in the Europa League, where Galatasaray is delivering one high-scoring match after another. It is enough to say that their games average 4.6 goals, which is the highest in the tournament. It should be noted that the team has not lost since an unsuccessful qualification in the Champions League. The streak has already reached 26 matches. Meanwhile, in the Europa League, Galatasaray has as many as four draws. For example, in the last round, they missed out on a win against Dynamo Kyiv, although they were leading by two goals (3:3).

⚽️ Goal Prediction

Ajax has attacking play in their blood. It shows best at home, where the team has scored at least two goals in 7 of their last 8 matches. In the Europa League, they have scored 14 goals, with 10 of them witnessed by spectators at the “Johan Cruyff Arena”. Considering how much Galatasaray concedes during the tournament, we suggest a bet on Ajax's total goals over 1.5.

🚩 Corner Prediction

The advantage in corners in the Europa League is with Galatasaray - 6.4 against 3.4. It is surprising that Ajax is considered the favorite in this aspect for the upcoming match. Given the visitors' motivation, it's worth considering a bet on Galatasaray's total corners over 4.5, especially since it played out in 6 of their 7 matches in the Europa League.

📝 Match Prediction

There is no clear favorite in the upcoming match. Bookmakers have rated each side's victory with roughly equal odds. In such a situation, there is always a fairly high probability of a draw, especially since this outcome is most popular in Galatasaray's matches in the Europa League. Therefore, we note a potential exact score of 2:2.

There have been 32 goals scored in matches involving Galatasaray. Therefore, it makes sense to expect goals in their encounter with Ajax, which also plays an attacking style. At the same time, the Turkish team has scored less than two goals in only one match of the tournament. Considering that they still have a chance to make it to the top 8, our key bet will be Galatasaray's total goals over 1.5.