Eredivisie giants Ajax head to Belgium for the first leg of their Europa League play-off against Union Saint-Gilloise on Thursday, and we’ve got the latest team news and confirmed lineups included in our preview.
Union Saint-Gilloise vs Ajax Preview
Jordan Henderson and co. at Ajax return to continental action with a trip to Belgium to take on Union Saint-Gilloise in the first leg of their Europa League knockout phase play-off tie on Thursday evening.
The 36-times Eredivisie champions rounded off the league phase with a 2-1 win over Galatasaray, and after totalling four wins and a draw across their eight matches, they finished in 12th place in the table, just one point shy of the top eight.
Francesco Farioli’s side, who sit top of the Dutch top-flight table at the time of writing, have won each of their last three matches across all competitions, with victories over Feyenoord and Fortuna Sittard following their last European outing.
European night in Europe's capital. #UEL #usgaja pic.twitter.com/jNVHqdCxvK
— AFC Ajax (@AFCAjax) February 13, 2025
Their opponents, meanwhile, managed a 21st place finish in the league phase table. Standout results throughout the campaign include wins over Twente, Nice and Braga, while they were beaten 2-1 by Rangers last time out on MD8.
Sebastien Pocognoli’s side have bounced back since that night in Glasgow though, by winning two successive Belgian Pro League matches against St. Truidense and, most recently, Kortrijk. Les Unionistes, having finished the domestic season in second last term, are currently in third place, 11 points adrift of leaders Genk.
Union Saint-Gilloise Team News
Former Accrington Stanley defender Ross Sykes remains unavailable for USG, missing out through suspension after his red card against Braga last month, while Koki Machida is eligible to make his return.
Elsewhere, Sofiane Boufal is a doubt, and both Alessio Castro-Montes and Kamiel Van De Perre miss out through injury.
Star forward Franjo Ivanovic, who has four goals in the Europa League this term, should retain his starting berth, likely partnered in attack by Promise David.
Ajax Team News
The visitors will have to make do without the services of former Manchester United and Burnley striker Wout Weghorst for both legs of the tie, as the Dutch international has been ruled out for six weeks with a toe injury.
Joining him on the sidelines are Youri Regeer, Owen Wijndal and Mika Godts.
Union Saint-Gilloise vs Ajax Confirmed Lineups
Union Saint-Gilloise Lineup:
Moris; Khalaili, Mac Allister, Burgess, Leysen; Sadiki, Vanhoutte, El Hadj; Ivanovic, David, Niang
Ajax Lineup:
Pasveer; Rosa, Rugani, Baas, Hato; Klaassen, Mokio, Fitz-Jim; Edvardsen, Rasmussen, Berghuis
Union Saint-Gilloise vs Ajax Prediction
Despite Ajax’s three-game winning run in the lead-up to the tie, the UK’s best football betting sites have identified Union Saint-Gilloise as the 5/4 favourites to prevail in Thursday’s first leg.
A draw is valued at around 23/10 and a victory for the visitors is priced at around 11/5.
Based on recent results, we at SportsCasting can see value in taking the bookmakers on in this one and are therefore backing Ajax to claim a crucial victory to put themselves in the driving seat ahead of the second leg in Amsterdam.
Prediction: Union Saint-Gilloise 1-2 Ajax
