Benfica vs Ajax: UCL RO16, Second Leg Preview, Details, Team News, and Dream11 Team Predictions

Benfica vs Ajax is the upcoming second leg match in this year's UEFA Champions League. With the tie delicately poised after a 2-2 draw in the first leg, Ajax and Benfica reconvene for the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie in Amsterdam on Tuesday night.

Benfica vs Ajax: Match Preview:

Ajax:

Still refusing to let Manchester United speculation distract him from the task at hand, Ajax general Erik ten Hag has become accustomed to seeing Sebastien Haller make the net ripple, but the ex-West Ham United man surprisingly turned the ball into the wrong net at the Estadio da Luz.

Haller's own goal came eight minutes after Dusan Tadic had given Ajax the upper hand in the tie, and while Haller only took three minutes to rectify his mistake and put his side 2-1 up on the night, Benfica salvaged a draw through Ukraine's Roman Yaremchuk.

Ready for a big night! ⭐️#UCL #ajaben

— AFC Ajax (@AFCAjax) March 14, 2022

The Champions League hangover appeared to hit Ajax hard as they followed up that 2-2 draw with a shock loss to Go Ahead Eagles, but they have since won three on the bounce across the Eredivisie and KNVB-Beker – scoring eight goals in the process.

The last time that Ajax managed to make it out of the group stages in the Champions League saw them produce that dazzling run to the semi-finals in 2018-19, and home comforts should certainly serve them well in their bid to repeat or better that feat this time around.

Indeed, Ten Hag's side head into the second leg having won each of their last seven at home in all competitions – conceding just twice and scoring at least three goals in every game – while Benfica's compatriots Sporting Lisbon know first-hand about the Dutch giants' penchant for prolific performances on home turf.

Benfica:

Taking a leaf out of their opponents' book, Benfica developed an affinity for goal-laden performances in and around their first-leg draw with Ajax, but Nelson Verissimo's 10 men could only find the back of the net once against Vizela on Friday night.

📸 Training session at #BenficaCampus before heading to Amsterdam! 🔴⚪#WeAreBenfica #AJASLB #UCL pic.twitter.com/rtW3gwhhJY

— SL Benfica (@slbenfica_en) March 14, 2022

After Adel Taarabt had been sent for an early bath with just seven minutes on the clock, Benfica went 1-0 down to Cassiano's strike on the 65-minute mark before 20-year-old Henrique Araujo – who has caught the eye at youth level this term – came off the bench to equalize 10 minutes later.

While such a result – which extended Benfica's unbeaten run to seven matches in all tournaments – can be viewed positively given Taarabt's early sending off, ending their six-match streak of scoring at least two per game was an unwelcome statistic for the Portuguese giants, who have not made it past the last 16 of the Champions League since 2015-16.

Not since a 3-0 Taca de Portugal defeat to Porto back in December have Benfica failed to find the back of the net in a competitive fixture, but only one of their last 14 away Champions League matches – excluding qualifying – has ended in victory, and Ajax can be pretty unforgiving on their own turf.

Furthermore, the 2-2 draw in the first leg stretched Benfica's winless run against Ajax to seven games since their inaugural 3-1 success in 1969, with Ten Hag overseeing a 1-0 home win against the Portuguese giants in October 2018 thanks to a last-minute Noussair Mazraoui effort.

Benfica vs Ajax: Match Preview:

Date: 16/03/2022

Time: 1:30 AM

Venue: Johan Cruijff ArenA, Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Where to watch in India: Sony Network and Jio TV

Referee: Carlos del Cerro Grande (Spain)

Assistant Referees: Juan Carlos Yuste, Roberto Alonso Fernández (Spain)

Team News:

Ajax:

Ajax have a few fitness concerns ahead of the game. Sean Klaiber and Maarten Stekelenburg are long-term absentees with ligament and groin injuries respectively.

Jay Gorter and Remko Pasveer have also been ruled out with fractures, while Brian Brobbey and Noussair Mazraoui's involvement in the game remains doubtful.

Benfica:

Lucas Veríssimo is a long-term absentee for the visitors with a ligament injury. Rodrigo Pinho and Haris Seferovic's involvement in the game remains doubtful.

Roman Yaremchuk, Nicolás Otamendi and Gilberto will all return to the fold after being left out of the squad against Vizela as a precaution.

Benfica vs Ajax: Head to Head:

The two sides have met eight times so far, with all the meetings coming in UEFA competitions. Ajax have dominated the proceedings in this fixture and are winless against the Eagles since a loss in their first-ever meeting in 1969. They lead 4-1 in wins and three games have ended in draws.

Recent form in all competitions:

Ajax: W-W-W-D-L

Benfica: D-W-W-D-D

Benfica vs Ajax: Predicted Line-ups:

Ajax Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): André Onana (GK); Nicolás Tagliafico, Jurrien Timber, Perr Schuurs, Daley Blind; Edson Alvarez, Davy Klaassen; Antony, Steven Berghuis, Dusan Tadic; Sebastien Haller.

Benfica Predicted XI (4-4-2): Odysseas Vlachodimos (GK); Valentino Lazaro, Nicolas Otamendi, Jan Vertonghen, Alejandro Grimaldo; Rafa Silva, Adel Taarabt, Julian Weigl, Everton; Roman Yaremchuk, Darwin Nunez

BEN vs AJA: Dream 11 Predictions: