FC Groningen hosts Ajax at the Euroborg on matchday 9 of the Eredivisie. Groningen seeks to build on their rout over Excelsior last week, where they won with 1-5 in Rotterdam. Groningen are currently in 6th, one spot behind their opponents Ajax, they have recovered well after going four matches without a win by winning their last two games with convincing scorelines. Dick Lukkien’s pressing machine may cause issues for Ajax, who have struggled in the last few matches, but the real danger comes from Etienne Vaessen; the goalkeeper has shown multiple times already how dangerous his long balls can be. Though his playstyle can often be risky too, making him prone to mistakes. Thom van Bergen has been one of the best attackers in the Eredivisie season so far, with already 7 goal contributions in 8 matches, and he also ranks among the 90th percentile for shot attempts and touches. Ajax have had a disappointing run of games, going winless for three now. While the first two draws still had positives to take from them, their most recent performance against Hajduk Split in the Conference League is one to quickly forget. One thing manager Míchel Sánchez talked about in interviews often is wanting to press high up the pitch, though from the last 13 Ajax managers he ranks the lowest in that stat. Despite that they have shown much better football this season compared to previous seasons. While there are multiple players who can cause trouble, one of the more important players is Aaron Bouwman; the young defender was out with an injury for nearly a month but has recently returned to the starting eleven and immediately showed his worth. Though it is not certain if he will start, with Thilo Kehrer right behind him in the squad selection. This will be the 132nd time these two sides meet; in the previous 131 matches Groningen only won 18, with 91 going in Ajax their favour, and the remaining 22 ending in a draw. Over the last 5 matches Groningen lost three, drew one, and won one.