Ajax hoping to finish off the job against Lyon

Published on May 10th, 2017 12:28 am EST
Written By: Cian Murray
Ajax head into their second-leg game against Lyon on Thursday in complete cruise-control. The Dutch giants came away with an impressive 4-1 win in the first game of this round and will be confident of finishing off the job in France.

However, Lyon's manager Bruno Genesio is hopeful that his team can turn the tie around. He said: "We'll have to create chances and take them, but also remain calm and organised when we lose the ball."

"We have to remember that we scored three goals on Sunday. And if we score three against Ajax, we could go through."

The truth is that history isn't on Genesio's side. Lyon have never reached a European tournament final and Ajax are seasoned heavyweights who know how to get over even the most stubborn of obstacles.

On-loan Chelsea striker Bertrand Traore did the damage in the first-leg, scoring two goals to go along with Kasper Dolberg and Amin Younes strikes.

France international Mathieu Valbuena pulled one back for the Ligue 1 side, but even the most optimistic of fans will realise that this is a huge task for Lyon. They are priced at 4/6 to win the game, however after the first-leg drubbing; we are unsure why they are such short odds.

The draw is priced at 10/3, while Ajax are 15/4 to win on the night - that's a bet that has our blood flowing because we reckon they are simply a better side than Lyon.

If you think Lyon can do the impossible and qualify, you can back them at a price of 5/1, while the more obvious selection of Ajax is at 1/6. In terms of first goal scorers, Traore is at 10/1 to repeat his heroics and get the first.

Ajax's other goal scorers from the opening leg, Dolberg and Amin Youness are 15/2 and 20/1 respectively. Valbuena is priced at 8/1 to get the opener to inspire a comeback of the ages.

Alexandre Lacazette is another Lyon player who will have to be at the top of his game if the French side are going to get back into this tie. He is priced at around 3/1 to get the opening goal.

We are going to hold out with Ajax as we fancy them to make it to the final and give Manchester United a good hammering on their way to lifting the trophy.

They are priced at 12/5 to win the whole thing and we reckon that's a steal! If you'd rather back Lyon, they are available at 16/1 to lift the trophy.