Bulgarian champions Ludogorets Razgrad and Dutch giants Ajax meet at Huvepharma Arena for the first leg of their Europa League playoff on Thursday evening.
While Ludogrets were eliminated from Champions League qualifying earlier this month, Ajax head directly into Europa League qualifying after finishing third in the Eredivisie last season.
Match preview
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Ludogorets Razgrad kicked off their campaign with an easy 6-0 aggregate victory over Ballkani in the Champions League first qualifying round, but they failed to make it past NK Olimpija Ljubljana in the second round, suffering a 3-2 aggregate defeat.
However, after dropping down into Europa League qualifying, Ivaylo Petev's side dispatched Astana to book their place in the playoffs, securing a 6-3 aggregate win against the Kazakhstani outfit thanks to an impressive 5-1 thrashing in the second leg.
Having won each of the past 12 top-flight titles in Bulgaria, Ludogorets entered the 2023-24 campaign as clear favourites once again, but they have already suffered two domestic defeats this term, leaving them seven points off the pace.
Following a shock 3-1 loss against Krumovgrad in their opening league game, the Eagles chalked up three dominant victories, scoring a total of 13 goals while keeping three clean sheets for good measure.
However, Ludogorets head into Thursday's first leg on the back of a surprise 1-0 defeat to Cherno More, with Ihor Plastun and Matias Tissera both receiving a red card in the second-half stoppage time.
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Fans of European football are used to seeing Ajax in the Champions League season after season, but the Dutch giants will not feature in Europe's premier club competition this term.
Last season, Ajax found themselves outside of the Eredivisie's top two for the first time since 2008-09, finishing six points shy of second-placed PSV Eindhoven and 13 points behind champions Feyenoord following a below-par campaign.
Alfred Schreuder was sacked back in January, with John Heitinga coming in as interim manager until the end of the season, opening the door for Maurice Steijn to take over as permanent boss in July.
Following heavy defeats against Borussia Dortmund, Augsburg and Anderlecht in pre-season, it looked as though Steijn would struggle to adapt to his new role, but the former Sparta Rotterdam manager has overseen an unbeaten start to the 2023-24 campaign.
After thrashing Heracles 4-1 on the opening weekend of the Eredivisie season, De Godenzonen came from behind to register a 2-2 draw against Excelsior last weekend, so Steijn will be hopeful of picking up another positive result on Thursday.
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Team News
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Denny Gropper (ACL) and Anton Nedyalkov (surgery) have not featured for Ludogorets this season as they continue to recover from injury, while Kwadwo Duah (ankle) is also expected to miss the first leg.
Ivaylo Petev will likely opt for a 4-3-3 formation on Thursday, with Bernard Tekpetey, Rwan Seco and Kiril Despodov occupying the forward line.
As for Ajax, goalkeepers Remko Pasveer (hand) and Geronimo Rulli (shoulder) are both sidelined through injury, meaning that Jay Gorter will continue between the sticks.
There are also question marks over the fitness of Ahmetcan Kaplan (knee), Francisco Conceicao (muscle) and Amourricho van Axel Dongen (knock), giving Steijn plenty to think about when it comes to his team selection.
Despite ongoing rumours linking him with a move away from the club, Mohammed Kudus is expected to start for the visitors on Thursday, joining Steven Bergwijn and Carlos Borges behind striker Brian Brobbey in a 4-2-3-1 formation.
Ludogorets Razgrad possible starting lineup:
Sluga; Witry, Verdon, Sundberg, Heister; Goncalves, Piotrowski, Yordanov; Tekpetey, Seco, Despodov
Ajax possible starting lineup:
Gorter; Rensch, Medic, Hato, Salah-Eddine; Tahirovic, Van den Boomen; Borges, Kudus, Bergwijn; Brobbey
We say: Ludogorets Razgrad 1-2 Ajax
Having already lost a couple of league games in uncharacteristic fashion, Ludogorets look set to suffer another defeat when Ajax visit Huvepharma Arena, although Thursday's clash will likely be a tight affair as both sides aim to remain in the tie.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Ben Morris
