Ajax face Lille at the Johan Cruijff Arena on Tuesday, Sept. 17. Here’s all the info you need to watch.
The Champions League group stage starts on Tuesday. In the first game of Group H, Ajax host Lille at the Johan Cruijff Arena in Amsterdam. Ajax won the Eredivisie title last year and made a very surprising run to the semifinal last season but ultimately came up short against Tottenham. Lille had their best season in eight years, finishing second to Paris Saint-Germain a season ago.
This season’s Ajax team is a very different team than the one that reached the Champions League semifinal last year. As is the case for Ajax and every Dutch club, they were forced to sell their top players to the biggest clubs across Europe. Ajax netted more than €200 million for the nine players that were sold. Erik ten Hag bought several players and will depend on their youth academy to replace the players who were sold.
The biggest question for Ajax will be their ability to replace former captain and center-back Matthijs de Ligt. The loss of de Ligt has left a massive hole in the back four for Ajax. The capital club could also be without their top midfielder, Donny van de Beek, who is dealing with a hamstring injury. If Ajax are going to make a run to the knockout stage, they will rely on their front three of David Neres, Hakim Ziyech and Dusan Tadic. The trio combined for 71 goals and 63 assists in all competitions last season.
Much like Ajax, Lille had their top players raided by bigger clubs after their second-place finish. Lille received €80 million from Arsenal for Nicolas Pepe and have reinvested that money back into the club. The Great Danes signed Renato Sanches, Yusuf Yazici, Victor Osimhen and Timothy Weah to restock their team. The signing of Osimhen has provided the best early returns. Osimhen leads the club with five goals and will start at striker against Ajax.
The Champions League match between Ajax and Lille will be broadcast live online. Live streaming is available on B/R Live, which you can access with your cable or satellite subscription, either online or through their app.
Date: Tuesday, Sept. 17
Start Time: 3:00 p.m. ET
Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Stadium: Johan Cruijff Arena
TV info: Online only
Live Stream: B/R Live | Watch live on Fubo.TV. Sign up for a free seven-day trial here.
Tuesday’s game will be the first time that Ajax and Lille have played against each other.