Chelsea vs Ajax: Head-to-head

Chelsea’s only previous encounter with Ajax was when we were drawn together in the Champions League group stage in 2019/20. With Frank Lampard’s Blues winning 1-0 in Amsterdam, what was to follow was an epic 4-4 draw in the return fixture at the Bridge.

As the sequence of goals shows, it was a classic:
0-1 - Tammy Abraham own goal (2)
1-1 - Jorginho pen (4)
1-2 - Quincy Promes (20)
1-3 - Kepa Arrizabalaga own goal (35)
1-4 - Donny van de Beek (55)
2-4 - Cesar Azpilicueta (63)
3-4 - Jorginho pen (71)
4-4 - Reece James (74)

Eric ten Hag managed that Ajax team, which included several past and future Premier League players. The line-up was: Andre Onana; Noussair Mazraoui, Joel Veltman, Daley Blind, Nicolas Tagliafico; Donny van de Beek, Lisandro Martinez; David Neres (Perr Schuurs 71), Hakim Ziyech (Edson Alvarez 72), Quincy Promes; Dusan Tadic (c)

Head-to-Head (all competitions)

Played 2
Won 1
Drawn 1
Lost 0

Chelsea's biggest Champions League home wins:

Chelsea 6-0 Maribor | 2014/15 | Group stage
Chelsea 6-0 Qarabag | 2017/18 | Group stage

Chelsea stats

Chelsea are competing in the Champions League for the 20th season, and the first since reaching the quarter-finals in 2022/23. We have made the knockout stage in each of our past eight appearances.

The Blues are playing our 200th Champions League game proper. We have won 102 and lost 45 of the previous 199.

Our starting XI against Benfica had an average age of exactly 24 years, our youngest ever for a Champions League match.

The Blues have lost just one (Valencia 1-0 in 2019) of our past 24 matches at Stamford Bridge in the Champions League group/league stage, going back to 2013 (16 wins, seven draws).

We have scored in each of our last 17 European games since a 2-0 defeat to Real Madrid in April 2023.

Chelsea have never lost to a Dutch team in six European matches against them, recording three wins and three draws. Key results include two victories over Feyenoord (1999/00 Champions League), a win and a draw against Ajax (2019/20 Champions League) and two goalless knockout draws with DWS Amsterdam (1968/69 Fairs Cup) when Chelsea were eliminated on a coin toss.

With Richard Rios scoring in his own net in our last game against Benfica, the Blues have now benefited from 14 own goals in the Champions League, with only three sides having more own goals in their favour (Barcelona 20, Real Madrid 19, Bayern Munich 18).

No Chelsea player has made more tackles in a Champions League game since 2016/17 than Moises Caicedo against Benfica (eight).

Jorrel Hato joined the Blues from Ajax during the summer, becoming the fourth player to join the club from the Dutch side, following Mario Melchiot (1999), Jesper Gronkjaer (2000), and Hakim Ziyech (2020).

Milestones

If selected, Pedro Neto will start a Chelsea game for the 50th time.

Reece James scored his 15th goal on his 200th appearance for the club at Nottingham Forest on Saturday. He is the first player in the current squad to reach that appearance milestone.

Ajax stats

Last season

Eredivisie - Second (one point behind champions PSV)
KNVB Cup - Lost 2-0 to AZ in the round of 16
Europa League - Lost 6-2 on aggregate to Eintracht Frankfurt in the round of 16
Top scorer all competitions: Kenneth Taylor 15
Top league scorer: Wout Weghorst 10

Ajax first entered the European Cup in 1957/58. In 1969, they were beaten by AC Milan in the final at the beginning of a golden era spearheaded by the legendary Johan Cruyff, and won the competition in 1971, 1972 and 1973, keeping clean sheets in each final.

In more modern times, Ajax reached consecutive Champions League finals in 1995 and 1996, beating Milan in the first and then losing on penalties to a Juventus side captained by Gianluca Vialli the following year.

Like Chelsea, this is their first season in the competition since 2022/23. This will be Ajax’s 250th match in Europe's top club tournament.

In 2024/25 Ajax were 12th in the Europa League league phase (four wins, one draw, three defeats), beating Union Saint-Gilloise 3-2 in the knockout phase play-off before a 6-2 aggregate last-16 defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt.

A 4-0 away loss at Marseille on matchday two this season made it five successive European defeats for Ajax. The Dutch side have, however, lost only four of their last 20 away matches in the Champions League proper (11 wins, five draws).

Ajax are without a win in 11 games against English opposition (two draws, nine defeats), since a 1-0 victory at Tottenham Hotspur in 2019. The Amsterdam side have not scored in their past five games against Premier League sides, conceding 11.

Ajax lost their first Eredivisie match of the season on Saturday at home to AZ Alkmaar. They are fourth with 16 points (four wins, four draws, one defeat), nine points behind leaders Feyenoord.

Last five results

PSV Eindhoven (a) D 2-2
NAC Breda (h) W 2-1
Marseille (CL a) L 4-0
Sparta Rotterdam (a) D 3-3
AZ Alkmaar (h) L 2-0

John Heitinga has never managed a side against Chelsea. As a player, he won three of his 10 games against the Blues for Everton and Fulham between 2009 and 2014.

MATCHWEEK 2 LINE-UP

Tuesday 30 September
Marseille 4-0 Ajax
Team (4-3-3): Jaros; Rosa, Itakura, Baas (Sutalo 55), Wijndal (Gaaei 55); Klaassen (c), Regeer (Mokio 23), Taylor; Berghuis (Edvardsen h-t), Gloukh, Godts (Moro 84)
Booked: Rosa, Itakura, Gaaei

Discipline

Joao Pedro is suspended (one match) following his red card against Benfica.

As from the first match in the league phase, players and team officials are suspended for the next competition match after three cautions, that did not result in a red card, as well as after any subsequent odd-numbered caution (fifth, seventh, ninth, etc.). In addition, all yellow cards expire on the completion of the quarter-finals and are not carried forward to the semi-finals.

Champions League yellow cards: 3
Buonanotte 1, Fernandez 1, Santos 1

Champions League red cards: 1
Joao Pedro 1

Match officials

Referee: Felix Zwayer
Assistant referees: Robert Kempter and Christian Dietz
Fourth official: Martin Petersen
VAR: Soren Storks