(Football news) The Seagulls defeated the hosts 2-0 at the Amex last month to earn their first-ever continental victory, and the Dutch behemoths will also try to get revenge. 

If you excuse the pun, John van ‘t Schip has definitely turned things around since he stumbled into the Ajax dumpster fire and took over a squad that had lost 10 straight games while on the skids and was on a sleepwalk to the Eredivisie basement after suffering four straight losses.

But as Halloween came and went, so did Ajax’s horror show. Coming into Thursday’s match, the hosts had won their last two Eredivisie games for the first time this year, defeating Heerenveen with ease after first sending two goals past Volendam without reply.

Luuk Browers’s late first-half goal did set up a suspenseful second half after Steven Bergwijn and Brian Brobbey gave Ajax a two-goal lead. However, Van ‘t Schip’s brilliant substitution saw former Middlesbrough player Chuba Akpom score a brace in the final ten minutes to complete a comprehensive 4-1 thumping.

Ajax has made significant progress in the Eredivisie rankings, jumping to 11th place with their mini-revival. They have also allowed just one goal in their previous 180 minutes of play, compared to 24 goals in their eight games prior to Van ‘t Schip’s arrival. With this performance, Ajax’s chances of making it to the Europa League last 16 remain high.

Ajax currently lies bottom of the section with a two-point deficit, but should they manage to avoid opening a continental campaign without a win after four games for the first time since the 2015–16 Europa League, the Sons of the Gods have an opportunity to catch up to Marseille, who lead the section.

Also read: Manchester United lose their 3rd game in UCL