Just over 50 years after their European Cup final meeting in 1972, Ajax and Inter Milan cross paths again, this time to kick off the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League. Softfootball understands that Ajax are unbeaten in the Eredivisie so far (three wins, two draws), but there’s still doubt about how they’ll cope in Europe.
They’ve only managed to get past the group stage once since their magical semi-final run in 2018/19. Even so, history shows they usually start well, winning on matchday one in four of their last five UCL campaigns.
For head coach John Heitinga, this is personal. He’s becoming just the fifth man to play for Ajax and later manage them in Europe’s top competition. That in itself brings pressure, as he will want to make what will be regarded as a statement win even though his team are slightly underdogs.
Inter, on the other hand, arrive with more questions than answers. Cristian Chivu has stepped in after Simone Inzaghi’s departure, but the team is already shaky. Two straight defeats, including a wild 4-3 loss to Juventus, highlight their defensive problems. Thirteen goals conceded across their last four Champions League games tell the story; they will be looking to rekindle the kind of form that saw them put 5 goals past Torino in the opening game of the season.
The Italian Giants will want to make amends for the recent slip-up, and the club even shared a video on its official X account of the team training hard before uploading another video of the team en route to Amsterdam.
Watch the videos below:
The history books don’t make good reading for Ajax either. They’re winless in their last 13 home games against Italian sides (six draws, seven defeats). Inter, by contrast, are unbeaten in 13 games against Dutch opposition (nine wins, four draws); however, Ajax are a historically rich team and they took the chance to remind everyone that, they even posted a video via the team’s official X handle that this game will be there 500th Champions League match-up.
Watch the video below:
Team News
Ajax are missing Branco van den Boomen, their only major absentee. Inter travels with a fully fit squad, barring Mateo Darmian, who is recuperating from a back injury.
Inter Milan squad list uploaded on the teams official X account:
Possible Line-ups
Ajax (4-3-3): Jaros; Gaaei, Itakura, Baas, Wijndal; Regeer, Taylor, Klaassen; Berghuis, Weghorst, Godts
Inter Milan (3-5-2): Sommer; Akanji, Acerbi, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Calhanoglu, Sucic, Dimarco; Thuram, Martinez
SoftFootball’s Predictions
Ajax’s attacking intent at home combined with Inter’s leaky defence suggests a goal-filled contest. Both teams should find the net, and over 2.5 goals looks likely. A high-scoring draw would not surprise, but Inter’s Champions League pedigree could see them edge it late on.
Prediction: Ajax 2-3 Inter Milan
