Ajax target Juventus scalp in Champions League, says Erik ten Hag
Last Updated: 09/04/19 8:48pm
Ajax boss Erik ten Hag has warned Juventus that his side are happy to continue playing with their underdog tag.
Ten Hag's side face Juve at the Johan Cruyff Arena in their Champions League quarter-final first leg on Wednesday night.
Ajax stunned Real Madrid 5-3 in the last round - winning 4-1 at the Bernabeu - and are top of the Eredivisie on goal difference ahead of PSV.
If Ajax make the final it would be their 19th Champions League game of 2018/19 - a competition record. They are also the 29-goal top scorers ahead of the quarter-finals.
"We are happy to be one of the Champions League surprises," Ten Hag said.
"We have a good midfield, we manage the ball possession well but when we don't have it we have to be good at recovering it as soon as possible.
"Tactically, we are strong and we can put players in different positions. All of our players are able to play in big competitions. They have the potential and we will try to keep them because we want to do well again next year in Europe.
"We must play against Juventus with our style. The most important thing is the result. We are only thinking about the match against the Bianconeri.
"Juventus are an experienced team and can put different strategies into play. It will be another big obstacle to overcome after Bayern and Real. We will play as usual and we will have to be good at reading the game.
"A couple of months ago we found our form and returned to being a strong team, even in Europe."
Juventus have Cristiano Ronaldo available after he won his battle to overcome a thigh injury. The Portugal international trained on Tuesday but captain Giorgio Chiellini suffered a calf injury in training on Monday and will miss the game.
