Ajax vs Utrecht – News and Probable Lineups

The second-to-last weekend of this Eredivisie season features Ajax hosting FC Utrecht at the Johan Cruyff Arena, with the home team’s season still up in the air.

While Utrecht is set to participate in the post-season European playoffs, the Amsterdam side could face a similar fate as their guests on Sunday, potentially securing a guaranteed Champions League berth, settling for a qualifying position for Europe’s premier competition, or needing to qualify for the Europa League.

Match overview

Last week’s De Topper was expected to be high-scoring, given the narrow gap between Ajax and PSV Eindhoven, and this was confirmed with a 2-2 draw in Amsterdam, as Mika Godts — who else? — scored a last-gasp equalizer in the 92nd minute, extending De Joden’s unbeaten streak against their rivals to five matches.

Although that result maintained De Godenzonen’s unbeaten three-match run, interim head coach Oscar Garcia is aware of the potential scenarios leading into the final two matchweeks of 2025-26.

Currently sitting fourth in the standings, Ajax has secured at least a potential Europa League spot through the second qualifying round, but they are still reaching for higher positions.

Just one point and one place below third-placed NEC, Garcia’s team must secure maximum points in their final two matches against Utrecht on Sunday and away at Heerenveen next weekend to have a chance of overtaking their Nijmegen rivals for a spot in the Champions League third qualifying round.

While the possibility of surpassing Feyenoord in second remains thin, the Amsterdam team needs Robin van Persie’s side to lose both matches in the next two rounds, having not lost in their last seven games.

The final scenario, however, will not sit well with supporters of the 36-time Eredivisie champions: finishing outside the top four could see them drop into the European playoffs, where the eventual winner may only gain entry to the Conference League after going through qualifying rounds.

Desperate to avoid that undesirable outcome, the home side will aim to defeat Utrecht this weekend to fend off competition from FC Twente, who are level with them on 55 points heading into the season’s closing pair of fixtures.

To achieve this, Ajax needs to overcome their opponents this weekend, a challenge they haven’t conquered since a 2-0 victory back in 2024 at home.

Since that defeat in March of that year, Utrecht has avoided losing in their subsequent three encounters, including two victories on their home turf, highlighted by a resounding 4-0 triumph over De Joden last season, while the previous fixture at the Johan Cruyff Arena during the 2024-25 season ended in a 2-2 draw.

This match marked the first occasion since 2021 that Utrecht managed to avoid defeat against Ajax in Amsterdam, and they arrive on Sunday with hopes of taking points from De Joden in consecutive visits, having had a 1-1 draw and a 1-0 win in April and October 2021, respectively.

Nevertheless, the traveling supporters will be wary, given that their last two league trips resulted in a 4-3 loss to Eredivisie champions PSV and a 5-0 thrashing at the hands of relegation-threatened SBV Excelsior.

That heavy defeat was compounded by Matisse Didden’s sending-off while trailing 1-0, with a discouraging second-half collapse ensuing.

Indeed, with Ron Jans’s team virtually guaranteed to finish no lower than ninth for a chance at a European playoff spot unless they lose their last two matches and 10th-placed Groningen manages to close a six-point gap, it will be intriguing to observe how driven Utrecht will be ahead of Sunday’s fixture in Amsterdam.

Team News

Godts’s 17th Eredivisie goal this season earned Ajax a point against PSV in De Topper, and the club’s leading scorer, the only player to reach double figures this term, aims to add to his impressive tally.

Oscar Gloukh and Wout Weghorst have contributed to 12 and 11 goals, respectively, demonstrating the solid support behind the highly regarded Belgian forward.

Garcia is likely to be without Owen Wijndal, Oleksandr Zinchenko (knee), Kian Fitz-Jim (shoulder), Vitezlav Jaros (knee), and Davy Klaassen (knee) for the Sunday showdown.

Utrecht, in contrast, has several players currently sidelined: Miguel Rodriguez (knee), Emirhan Demircan (hamstring), Victor Jensen (knee), Jaygo van Ommeren (back), Oualid Agougil (knee), and Michael Brouwer (Achilles) are all on the mend.

Although Souffian El Karouani hasn’t added to his 10 assists since February, the attacking contributions from this wide defender could pose a threat to Ajax, while Gjivai Zechiel — with eight goals and four assists — is enjoying a commendable loan from Feyenoord.

Ajax probable starting XI:

Paes; Gaaei, Sutalo, Baas, Rosa; Gloukh, Itakura, Mokio; Berghuis, Weghorst, Godts

FC Utrecht probable starting XI:

Barkas; Vesterlund, Didden, Van der Hoorn, El Karouani; Engwanda, Zechiel; Alarcon, Karlsson, Cathline; Stepanov

With Godts in exceptional form, Ajax may possess sufficient attacking prowess to secure a victory in what is expected to be a closely contested, high-scoring encounter at the Johan Cruyff Arena, especially given their pressing need for maximum points.