Fortuna Sittard vs Ajax - Eredivisie

There is a notable edge to this Eredivisie fixture. When Fortuna Sittard meet Ajax at the home ground on September 12, 2026, both will sense an opportunity to land a telling blow. The 25-year-old suffered the injury after an inadvertent clash with his own team-mate as he and Mathias Olivera both challenged for possession late in the first half.

A glance at the Eredivisie table tells the story: Fortuna Sittard in 7th and Ajax in 5th, with positions to defend and places to climb. It has been a solid if unspectacular run for the hosts — L across their last five with a win rate of 50% — and they will want to push on from here. The visitors have been a force on their travels, W in their last five and a campaign win rate of 60% that demands respect. The contrast in attacking output — 2 versus 2.8 goals per game — adds an extra layer of intrigue. That’s according to Miguel Delaney of the Independent, who also adds that the Gunners remain keen on another world class forward in the form of Atletico Madrid’s Julian Alvarez.

Wing play is likely to be central to the contest. Fortuna Sittard will look to stretch the pitch and isolate their wide attackers, while Ajax must find a way to compress the space and choke the supply lines. And there are still question marks even in attack, where they have an abundance of supporting forwards including Mbeumo, Cunha and Amad Diallo, but only one out-and-out striker in Sesko.

Individual quality could tip the balance. The league's leading scorer S. Tengstedt, with 5 goals to his name this season, is a reminder of the firepower on display. How each side deals with the other's danger men — and who takes their chances when they come — will be central to the outcome. The one thing I've noticed about Tottenham over the last few years is they never had a dominant midfielder.

Predicting an outright winner is no easy task given how little separates the two sides on paper. The numbers tilt towards Ajax, and a 2-3 away win looks the more probable outcome. The ramifications of this result could ripple through the Eredivisie standings for weeks to come, regardless of who comes out on top. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Liverpool's midfield wasn't great last year but I expect Florian Wirtz to have a better season, 100 per cent.