The necessary homework has been completed, and the opponent has been thoroughly analysed. Both Heitinga and Regeer painted a clear picture of the Turkish champions. ''Galatasaray have a lot of quality and experience in their squad; they dominate the Turkish league. They’ll put a strong team on the pitch tomorrow,” Heitinga opened. “They can be deadly in transition.''
Despite the strength of the opposition, Ajax see opportunities. ''They’ll leave space at times as well,'' Heitinga continued. ''It would be great to show on this stage that we can compete. We’ll need to stay well-organised and disciplined, and we’ll need our fans behind us again tomorrow. We’ve faced several tough sides in the Champions League. It’s time to get rid of that annoying nil. Galatasaray are a top team too. Some sides may be better than us, but I think we definitely have a chance against them.''
Heitinga then underlined his message once more: ''We want nothing more than to get off that nil, especially on this stage where we want to show ourselves. That goes for the players, but also for the fans. They deserve to see us performing at this level. We’re at home, and that’s great with our own fans right behind us.''
The coach will have to improvise slightly against the Turks. Kenneth Taylor is suspended after his red card against Chelsea. But Heitinga indicated he’s prepared for that as well. ''I’ve got several midfield options - James McConnell, Kian Fitz-Jim, Davy Klaassen, and Jorthy Mokio among them. Although, to be honest, I prefer Davy a bit higher up the pitch rather than on the left.''
The absence of Kasper Dolberg is a setback. The Danish striker has returned to training but is not yet match-fit. ''Kasper is on his way back. He’s taking part in parts of training again, which is good, but he’s not available yet. We’re taking it day by day to see how he responds.'' Steven Berghuis is also still out, as is Branco van den Boomen, though he too has resumed parts of team training.
Galatasaray impressed earlier in the League Phase with a win over Liverpool. Heitinga made sure to use his contacts at the English club while preparing for the upcoming Champions League fixture. ''It also makes a difference whether you play at home or away,'' the Ajax coach remarked.
''They’ve got a lot of pace up front, plus quality and experience,'' Heitinga continued his analysis of the Turkish league leaders. ''We can’t give them too much space, they’re deadly on the counter and have a dangerous striker.''
Since the second half against FC Twente, Youri Regeer seems to have secured his spot as a controlling midfielder. The versatile Ajacied remains down-to-earth. ''It doesn’t matter to me where I play. I played as a six for a year and a half at FC Twente. As long as my name’s on the team sheet, I’m happy,'' he said with a smile.
Heitinga added approvingly: ''Youri meets the Ajax standard and has come through our academy. He can play in several positions. As a coach, it’s great to have a player like Youri Regeer in your squad.''
Like his coach, Regeer knows what will be required on Wednesday. ''We’ll need to keep the ball better and dominate more from there. We must be well-organised against Galatasaray’s strong collective.''
As a former top defender, Heitinga faced plenty of world-class strikers himself. Victor Osimhen is one who particularly impresses him today. ''Osimhen is a great striker; clever, strong, and fast. You have to handle him wisely. He’s a complete forward and one of the best at the moment. There are few players as quick as he is. I hope we’ll be more secure in possession tomorrow and that what I see in training will show in the match. We’ll do everything we can to keep him quiet.''
Ajax - Galatasaray kicks off tomorrow at 21:00 at the Johan Cruijff ArenA.
