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Yesterday’s draw for the 2020-21 UEFA Champions League group stage put us in Group D with AFC Ajax, Atalanta and FC Midtjylland. A Twitter user referring to the group, he remarked, no defense, no clean sheets, just goals and vibes. These four clubs have scored a total of 400 goals in the 2019-20 season. And we love goals. So who are our worthy opponents?
AFC AJAX
A favorite of the underdog of the 2018-19 Champions League, historically a giant in world soccer, a famous talent factory for major European leagues, and an enthusiastic fan base, Ajax is an exciting opponent – and one to the most! that we faced for the last time in 1966!
Ajax most recently captured our imaginations with their young and intrepid team, attacking football in the run-up to the 2018-19 Champions League, when they eliminated reigning champion Real Madrid and Italian giant Juventus. They were then eliminated by Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham Hotspur.
Following their exploits in 2018-19, the talented team was stormed into the transfer market – they lost key players Matthijs de Ligt, Frenkie de Jong, Hakim Ziyech and Donny van de Beek in the next two years. Their season in the Eredivisie was cut short this April due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but they finished in first place and qualified for the Champions League. Your current team still has the 31-year-old Serbian goal machine Dusan Tadic, but can you help them reach the same heights as the team two years ago?
Local Stadium: Johann Cruyff Arena (55,500 seats)
Coach: Erik ten Hag
Top scorer (2019-20): Quincy Promes (16), Dusan Tadic (16)
ATALANTA BC
Here are the favorites of the 2019-20 Champions League season!
Atalanta is based in Bergamo, a city with a population of 120,000 in the Lombardy region of Italy, and to which the club nurtures a strong bond. He currently plays in Serie A, having been promoted from Serie B in 2010.
They made waves in the 2019-20 Champions League season, reaching the final eight, with a sensational and entertaining attacking style. They also finished third in Serie A, just five points behind leaders Juventus, and with the highest goal difference (+50 versus +33 for Juve).
Their coach, Gian Piero Gasperini, despite initial ups and downs, has become known for his positive style of tactics, bringing out the best in each of his players and offering opportunities to players from the club’s strong youth academy. His game revolves around playmaker and captain Alejandro Gómez, but contributions come from other areas of the field, as well as his wingers. Robin Gosens, his left-back scored 10 goals in all competitions last season. Watch out for Andy Robertson!
Local Stadium: Gewiss Stadium (21,300 seats)
Coach: Gian Piero Gasperini
Top scorer (2019-20): Duvan Zapata (18), Luis Muriel (18)
FC MIDTJYLLAND
First, grow up and learn to pronounce Midtjylland. From my research, I deduced that it sounds more like mitch-you-land. I humbly seek corrections from Danish fans in the comments if not! As someone named Amanda (who as we all know can be easily mistaken for Avantika), I know how she feels.
FC Midtjylland plays in the Danish Super League, which they won in the 2019-20 season. They are based in Herning, Denmark, on the Jutland peninsula. In 2014, Matthew Benham (owner of the English championship team Brentford) became Midtjylland’s majority shareholder, after which the club won three national league titles and qualified for the group stage of the Champions League this year by first time.
As in Brentford, the club has become known for taking a data-driven approach to recruiting and managing football. They also implement specific strategies, such as specialized kicking coaches, in-game statistics for team talks at halftime, and the use of analytics for set pieces. [The Guardian].
By the way, our serve coach Thomas Grønnemark previously worked at Midtjylland. If nothing else, it will be the Battle of the Throw-in!
Local stadium: MCH Arena (11,544 seats)
Coach: Brian Priske
Top scorer (2019-20): But Mabil (7), Evander (7)
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