Ajax is gearing up for the first leg of the UEFA Conference League Round of 16. The Ajax players under John van 't Schip will host Aston Villa Thursday evening at their own Johan Cruijff ArenA. In preparation for the European encounter with the English team, the Amsterdammers held their final training session on Wednesday afternoon at De Toekomst training centre.
Ajax will still have to do without Steven Bergwijn and Steven Berghuis against Aston Villa on Thursday. Coach John van 't Schip announced this at the press conference on Wednesday.
After the month of February without a win, Ajax has started March with three points. FC Utrecht was defeated in the Johan Cruyff ArenA on Sunday afternoon by 2-0 with goals from Brian Brobbey and Kenneth Taylor. It was also the first time the Ajax squad has held an opponent scoreless since November.
Kenneth Taylor took Ajax to 2-0 this afternoon. With that, the Ajax player brought the crowd to their feet. It was the midfielder's second goal in a week and a half. He also scored on Thursday last week against Bodø/Glimt.