Míchel: "We have been drawn against an interesting mix of opponents, with clubs from different leagues and football cultures. That makes for a challenging and exciting league phase of the competition. It is not an easy draw, although there are certainly some attractive fixtures in there. For our supporters, the away matches are relatively easy to travel to, and we will welcome several strong teams to the Johan Cruijff ArenA."
For Sánchez personally, it is nice to see a Spanish club among Ajax's opponents. "That always adds an extra dimension, but it does not change our approach. If you have the ambition to go far in this competition, you have to be able to beat anyone. That is where our focus lies."
Away Match Against Telstar
Ajax trained on Friday in preparation for Sunday's away match against Telstar. The Amsterdam side worked in two groups: the players who started the previous match took part in a recovery session, while the remaining players completed a more intensive training programme.
"This is how we prepare step by step for the match against Telstar," said the Ajax head coach. "The matches are coming thick and fast, which is good because it helps us maintain our rhythm, but it also places significant demands on the squad."
The head coach expects a difficult opponent. "Telstar are a team that always play in a compact and disciplined way, so we need to be sharp."
Tsygankov
Sánchez also shared some positive news regarding Viktor Tsygankov. The attacker trained with the group for the first time and is eligible to play, but he will not be included in Sunday's matchday squad. "He is fully integrated with the team now, but we want to introduce him gradually."
On Thursday, Ajax secured a place in the UEFA Conference League league phase with a 5-3 victory over FC Sion.
