On Matchday 3 of Group C, Ajax and Borussia Dortmund will meet in Amsterdam in a clash of two teams who have won both of their games so far.

The scenario

  • Ajax started with a 5-1 triumph away at Sporting Lisbon, in which Sébastien Haller bagged four goals, followed by a 2-0 home win against Besiktas, in which Haller scored once, making him the top scorer in the group phase to date. Borussia Dortmund followed up a 2-1 victory in Istanbul with a 1-0 win against Sporting Lisbon.
  • The last time the two teams faced each other was in the group phase of the 2012/13 UEFA Champions League. Back then, BVB won 1-0 thanks to a goal from Robert Lewandowski. On Matchday 5, the Black and Yellows even went and won in Amsterdam, with Marco Reus, Mario Götze and Lewandowski (2) scoring in an impressive 4-1 triumph.
  • Before that, the two teams had played in the quarter-finals in the 1995/96 season. That day, defending Champions League champions Ajax won 2-0 in Dortmund thanks to goals from Edgar Davids and Patrick Kluivert. In the return match in Amsterdam, Ajax won 1-0 thanks to a Kiki Musampa strike and then made it all the way to the final, which they lost against Juventus in Rome.

Facts about Ajax Amsterdam

  • The Dutch side are in the group phase for the 17th time – a new Dutch record, previously shared with PSV Eindhoven. It is the fourth season in a row in Europe's premier competition for the club from Amsterdam.
  • In 2020/21, Ajax celebrated winning their 35th league championship – and the second in a row after 2018/19, as no title was awarded in 2019/20. They also won the Dutch Cup last season – the club's ninth national double.
  • Ajax have only survived the group stage once in their eight most recent UEFA Champions League appearances, in 2018/19, but they did go on to reach the semi-finals that season.
  • Coach Erik ten Hag's team have won five and lost five of their last ten Europa League home games, but in the UEFA Champions League, they have come out on top in only three of their last 11 home games, most recently against Besiktas.
  • Ajax have won 14 of their 17 European Cup home games against German clubs. Their last home game in the UEFA Champions League against German opposition was a 3-3 draw with Bayern. Their only defeat to date was against Borussia Dortmund in 2012.

Facts about Borussia Dortmund

  • BVB were the top scorers in the 2020/21 UEFA Champions League: Erling Haaland scored ten goals, all of which came in his first six games (eight appearances in total). The Norwegian also found the net for BVB in the opening game against Besiktas.
  • The group games against Ajax in 2012 were the last time the Black and Yellows faced a team from the Netherlands. The overall head-to-head record is completely even, with each side recording three wins, three draws and three defeats.
  • Donyell Malen began his career in the Ajax Academy before he made his breakthrough at PSV Eindhoven. He scored 55 goals in 116 games for PSV between 2018 and 2021.
  • Emre Can could make his 50th appearance in UEFA club competitions.