Match Overview

This highly anticipated Group Stage Matchday 3 fixture features Chelsea (England) against Ajax (Netherlands) on October 22nd at Stamford Bridge in London. This preview offers an in-depth analysis for the Chelsea vs. Ajax encounter, including team statistics and a detailed prediction.

Chelsea’s Current Form

Chelsea’s journey in the Champions League began on a challenging note. In mid-September, the London side suffered a defeat against Bayern Munich, marking their third consecutive loss in this prestigious European competition. However, two weeks later, Chelsea managed to break their undesirable streak with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Benfica. This marked the fourth consecutive Champions League fixture where the English squad scored no more than one goal. Nevertheless, that single goal was sufficient for Enzo Maresca’s men to climb to 18th place in the current tournament standings.

• Chelsea has remained unbeaten in five of their last six home Champions League matches (four wins, one draw).
• At least one team failed to score in 11 of the Londoners’ previous 14 home games in this tournament.
• The club’s uncompromising home streak in the Champions League extends to five matches (four wins, one loss).

Chelsea’s Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1)

Robert Sanchez – Malo Gusto, Trevoh Chalobah, Jorrel Hato, Marc Cucurella – Reece James, Moises Caicedo – Pedro Neto, Facundo Buonanotte, Alejandro Garnacho – Tyrique George.

Forward João Pedro is serving a suspension. Defenders Benoît Badiashile, Wesley Fofana, Levi Colwill, midfielder Cole Palmer, and forward Liam Delap are all unavailable due to injuries. The participation of midfielder Enzo Fernández is doubtful for the match.

Ajax’s Current Form

John Heitinga’s squad is among a select group of teams yet to register a single point in the current Champions League campaign. Ajax has suffered defeats to both Inter and Marseille, failing to score in either match. Besides the Amsterdam club, only Olympiacos has yet to find the back of the net in this European competition. Furthermore, the club has conceded a total of six goals, with only Kairat having a worse defensive record (9). Their penultimate position in the overall standings appears entirely justified. Overall, Ajax has endured six losses in their last seven Champions League fixtures.

• At least two goals were scored in Ajax’s last eight Champions League matches.
• The team’s uncompromising streak in this tournament spans nine games (two wins, seven losses).
• Both teams scored in seven of Ajax’s previous eight away Champions League encounters.

Ajax’s Probable Lineup (4-3-3)

Vítězslav Jaroš – Anton Gaaei, Ko Itakura, Youri Baas, Lucas Rosa – Davy Klaassen, Kenneth Taylor, Oscar Gloukh – Oliver Edvardsen, Mika Godts, Wout Weghorst.

Defender Owen Wijndal, midfielder Branco van den Boomen, and forward Kasper Dolberg are unavailable due to injuries. The participation of forwards Steven Berghuis and Don-Angelo Konadu is doubtful for the match.

Match Referee

Felix Zwayer (Germany)

Matches officiated – 20 (International matches, 2024/25 – 2025/26);

Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 98;

Average yellow cards per match – 4.9;

Red cards shown – 9;

Average fouls per match – 21;

Penalties awarded – 35%.

Match Prediction: Chelsea vs Ajax

Many anticipate a convincing victory for Chelsea, but it’s not guaranteed that Enzo Maresca’s side will have an entirely comfortable outing. The English club has, in fact, won only two of their last six Champions League matches, and in both successful encounters, they overcame opponents by a margin of just one or two goals. Chelsea has not secured a large-margin victory in the Champions League in nine consecutive games, scoring a maximum of two goals in all of these fixtures. Even when considering only home matches, Chelsea has defeated opponents by a margin of three or more goals in just one of their last eight European Cup appearances.

Ajax faltered significantly in their last Champions League fixture against Marseille, yet such comprehensive defeats are not a common occurrence for them. In their previous 52 matches in this tournament, the club has suffered only three heavy losses, and even by a two-goal margin, the Amsterdam side has rarely been beaten. Away from home, prior to their recent match against Marseille, Ajax consistently avoided heavy defeats for 25 Champions League matches.

Based on these facts, the prediction is Ajax with a handicap of (+2.5).