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Ajax
KNVB Beker | Final
Apr 18, 2021 at 5pm UK
Amsterdam Arena
Vitesse

Ajax
2 - 1
Vitesse

Gravenberch (23'), Openda (30'), Neres (90+1')
Tannane (63'), Toure (72'), Wittek (74'), Bero (90+3'), Tagliafico (90+5')
Rasmussen (86')
FT(HT: 2-0)

Preview: Ajax vs. Vitesse - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Sunday's KNVB Beker clash between Ajax and Vitesse, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

In search of their 20th trophy of the competition, Ajax square off against Vitesse in the final of this year's KNVB Beker at De Kuip on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Vitesse have only gone all the way on one occasion, which was in 2017 when they beat AZ Alkmaar in the final.


Match preview

Ajax manager Erik Ten Hag pictured in December 2020© Reuters

Ajax saw off the threat on Heerenveen in the semi-final as they eased to a 3-0 victory at the Abe Lenstra Stadion on March 3.

Davy Klaassen, Dusan Tadic, and David Neres were on target as Dutch football's most successful side booked a place in the grand finale of a competition which they currently hold.

De Godenzonen are on course to secure a 35th Eredivisie title in the coming weeks, but their European journey was brought to an end on Thursday as they failed to overturn a first-leg deficit against AS Roma.

They have a fantastic opportunity to bounce back against a side that they have already beaten this season when the teams met at the Johan Cruyff ArenA in September.

Overall, Erik ten Hag's men are unbeaten in their last five clashes against Sunday's opponents, winning four of them by a combined score of 13-3.

Vitesse made light work of VVV-Venlo in their semi-final fixture at GelreDome where they claimed a 2-0 victory last month.

The game was decided in a nine-minute spell after the restart as goals from Armando Broja and Oussama Tannane settled the tie in favour of Thomas Letsch's men.

Vitas are on a seven-game unbeaten streak either side of that triumph, and currently occupy fourth place in the Eredivisie table.

Sunday's final is the third meeting between the sides in the competition since 2013 with Ajax just edging it in terms of number of wins.

Ajax KNVB Beker form:
  • W
  • W
  • W
  • W

Ajax form (all competitions):
  • W
  • W
  • W
  • L
  • W
  • D

Vitesse KNVB Beker form:
  • W
  • W
  • W
  • W

Vitesse form (all competitions):
  • W
  • W
  • W
  • D
  • W
  • D



Team News

Lisandro Martinez warms up for Ajax on December 9, 2020© Reuters

Daley Blind is yet to recover from a knee problem which he sustained while on international duty with the Netherlands and as a result, he is ruled out.

Andre Onana is ineligible to partake in footballing activities until next February after testing positive for Furosemide in a drug test that was conducted in October.

Dusan Tadic has been directly involved in four goals in five KNVB-Beker games this term, and his side's chances of victory rest heavily on his shoulders.

Vitesse have everyone fit and available for the showpiece as they prepare to stop Ajax from successfully defending their title.

Oussama Tannane was the hero of the semi-final where he put in a man-of-the-match performance to ensure his team's progress, and he will be hopeful of having a similar impact in this one.

Ajax possible starting lineup:
Scherpen; Martinez, Timber, Tagliafico, Rensch; Gravenberch, Alvarez, Klaassen; Tadic, Haller, Antony

Vitesse possible starting lineup:
Pasveer; Wittek, Rasmussen, Bazoer, Doekhi, Dasa; Tannane, Bero, Bruns; Broja, Darfalou


SM words green background

We say: Ajax 3-1 Vitesse

Ajax will be looking to put their cup exit in midweek behind them as they go in search of their first piece of silverware this term. We are backing them to carry the day and be crowned champions at the full-time whistle.



Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting a home win in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Home Win:data



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Data Analysis

Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Ajax win with a probability of 57.72%. A win for Vitesse had a probability of 21.74% and a draw had a probability of 20.5%.

The most likely scoreline for an Ajax win was 2-1 with a probability of 9.65%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (7.71%) and 1-0 (7.21%). The likeliest Vitesse win was 1-2 (5.64%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (9.01%). The actual scoreline of 2-1 was predicted with a 9.6% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted a 2-1 win for Ajax in this match.


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Game History

How you voted: Ajax vs Vitesse

Ajax
73.3%
Draw
16.7%
Vitesse
10.0%
30
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Ajax Amsterdam's Ryan Gravenberch pictured in October 2019
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