Champions League
2025-10-22 - Chelsea vs Ajax
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: UEFA Champions League
Wednesday 22nd October 2025 - Kick Off 8pm
This game is live on TV
Chelsea
A poor first half saw Chelsea struggling badly at the City Ground, but they were not punished for the sloppiness and eventually ran away with a 0-3 win. It builds on the momentum earned before the October international break and Enzo Maresca is looking for his young team to continue improving and picking up points both domestically and in Europe.
The Blues secured three points on Match Day 2 of the Champions League to bounce back from the comfortable defeat in Munich and they are 18th in the Group standings. Results at home feel like they will be important if Chelsea are going to finish in a top sixteen spot, which will mean at least a Seeding for the first of the Knock Out Rounds even if they fail to earn a place directly in the Last 16 through a top eight finish.
Chelsea have won 4 of their last 5 games in all competitions, including the last 3 in a row. An early sending off in the second half changed a home game against Brighton and saw Chelsea beaten 1-3, but they have won 3 of the last 4 at Stamford Bridge in all competitions and beat Benfica 1-0 here on Match Day 2 of the Champions League.
Joao Pedro is suspended, which leaves Chelsea looking a little light in the forward areas. Enzo Fernandez is expected to be involved having been given a few more days of recovery and not being in the squad on Saturday.
Ajax
It has been thirty years since Ajax last won the Champions League and Dutch Football has fallen away from the elite of Europe in that time. These days it is much harder to hold onto young talent and forge a team as good as the one that represented Ajax back in 1995, and this relatively young group have struggled in the step up to the Champions League through the first couple of games played.
In 2019 Ajax surprisingly made the Semi Final of the Champions League, but blew a big lead over Tottenham Hotspur. However, that is the only time since 2003 that Ajax have been beyond the Last 16 of the top UEFA competition, while in the last couple of years they have made little impact in either the Europa League or Conference League. The side have lost both Champions League games this season to Inter Milan and Marseille without scoring a goal.
Ajax have won 1 of their last 6 games in all competitions and they have lost 3 times in that run, including a disappointing 0-2 home defeat to AZ Alkmaar a few days ago. The away form has been really poor and Ajax have not won any of their last 7 games on their travels, although they have managed to draw 5 of those fixtures.
Owen Wijndal is expected to miss out for the visitors.
Head to Head
Chelsea and Ajax met in the 2019/20 Champions League Group Stage.
The fixture at Stamford Bridge ended 4-4, but Ajax had led 1-4 before being reduced to nine men.
Prediction
It feels like Ajax will be doing quite well to find a way into the top twenty-four in the League Phase of this competition, especially as they have been well beaten in both fixtures played so far in the Champions League.
The late collapse in the Dutch top flight cost them the title and the Ajax squad are struggling for any real consistency this season.
Losses in half of their last 6 games in all competitions will have dented confidence, although they are visiting Chelsea at a good time considering the list of absentees in the home squad.
Joao Pedro's foolish sending off against Benfica really leaves Chelsea short in the final third as he joins Liam Delap and Cole Palmer on the sidelines.
However, there is still enough quality for Chelsea to push forward and try to secure a fourth straight win in all competitions.
Ajax have got a significant gap to bridge and have been struggling at both ends of the pitch in the step up to the Champions League. That should give Chelsea the edge and The Blues can find the solutions needed to win this one by a couple of goals on the night.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Chelsea 2-0 Ajax
