WSL Full-Time
·10 September 2022
FEATURED: Three facts about Arsenal’s UEFA Women’s Champions League opponents Ajax

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Yahoo sportsWSL Full-Time
·10 September 2022
The Gunners enter the competition in the second round this season after finishing the 2021/2022 campaign as runners-up in the Barclays Women’s Super League.
The winners of the upcoming Round 2 tie will advance to the UEFA Women’s Champions League’s group stage where they will meet one of Chelsea (Ajax only), FC Barcelona, Lyon or VfL Wolfsburg, as well as two successful clubs from Round 2.
FAWSL Full-Time have reviewed Arsenal’s latest European opponents and here are three facts that you may not know about Ajax.
Ajax have only reached the last-16 on one occasion
Ajax are midway through their fourth campaign in the UEFA Women’s Champions League. The Dutch club had to qualify for the latter rounds in 2017/2018 and 2018/2019 before entering the competition in the first knockout stage in 2020/2021 and 2022/2023.
In their four European campaigns, Ajax have reached the last-16 (now known as the group stage) on just one occasion. In 2018/2019, they took on heavyweights Lyon and lost 13-0 over two legs. The Daughters of the Gods will be eager to return to that stage of the competition this year and make amends.
Success built upon homegrown foundations
Ajax are built completely upon homegrown talent, head coach Suzanne Bakker does not have a single overseas player in her squad. Ajax are the only club in the Pure Energie Eredivisie Vrouwen’s ‘top three’ not to have recruited from outside of the Dutch leagues.
The Ajax squad currently contains three players who featured for The Netherlands at the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022, those being Sherida Spitse, Romée Leuchter and Victoria Pelova.
Ajax negotiated their way through tricky Round 1 ties
Ajax were handed two tricky ties in Round 1 of this season’s UEFA Women’s Champions League. The Dutch club went into the draw as the sixth-highest ranked side of the eight seeded teams and they went on to defeat two of the top three unseeded sides.
In the Round 1 semi-finals, Ajax defeated Swedish club Kristianstads DFF 3-1 in Hjørring before beating four-time European champions Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1 in the Round 1 final at the same venue. Ajax will have been narrow favourites to win both of those matches and they will now play the role of underdogs against Arsenal.
Arsenal and Ajax meet in the Round 2 first leg at Meadow Park on Tuesday 20 September before contesting the second leg at Sportpark de Toekomst on Wednesday 28 September.