Ajax have been drawn against French side Nice in the Champions League third round qualifier.
- By Michael Statham
- Follow Michael on Twitter @EredivisieMike
Nice finished third in Ligue 1 last season and are spearheaded by the Italian striker Mario Balotelli – pictured above playing for AC Milan against Ajax in 2013, when he scored a last minute penalty.
Of course, events of Ajax’s European exploits have been overshadowed by the bitterly sad news over Abdelhak Nouri. Before the draw was made for this qualifying round, UEFA chiefs gave a moving speech in light of ongoing struggles for Nouri’s family.
Ajax players will be ready to give their all for the midfielder when they play the away leg in France on either the 25th or 26th of July. The home leg in Amsterdam will be played on either the 1st or 2nd of August.
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Writer/interviewer/YouTuber for Football-Oranje. Massive Dutch football fan from the UK. Follow me @EredivisieMike & subscribe to Football-Oranje on YouTube.
A poor draw for Ajax. Nice is probably the toughest opponent out of the 5 possibilities they had.
They had a great run last year but given the players they have already sold (and others they might sell in the next 2 months), I wouldn’t bet on Ajax getting to the group stage, even if they somehow survive Nice. Pretty sad to see given they were so close to getting there automatically last season.
I think Ajax actually have a good chance of qualifying. They may score enough goals to get through. It’s the fourth round that I think could be a bridge too far.