REVEALED: Ajax alumni feature in Tottenham-Ajax combined XI

Tottenham are seriously hoping Moussa Sissoko is fit for tonight’s Champions League semi-final meeting with Ajax. That’s a sentence no Spurs fan would have imagined writing last summer, but these are crazy times. Sissoko is a key man in this Spurs side with the Frenchman the driving force in the engine room. 

His availability is crucial against an Ajax side that is set to dominate Spurs’ beleaguered midfield. Indeed, as the first leg of the semi-finals bears down on us, it is the Dutch side that dominates a combined XI. Not including injured or suspended players - it’s for this reason why Son Heung-Min and Harry Kane miss out - Ajax have nine players in this XI. 

As expected, the usual suspects appear for the Eredivisie powerhouse, with star duo Dusan Tadic (7.69) and Hakim Ziyech (7.65) operate on a frontline completed by David Neres (6.96). In midfield, we have one of Tottenham’s two representatives, with Christian Eriksen (7.43) included. That means one of Ajax’s three central midfielders miss out and in this instance, it’s Barcelona-bound Frenkie de Jong (6.94).

The Dutchman’s rating falls just short of compatriot Donny van de Beek (7.03), while Eriksen’s Denmark teammate Lasse Schone (7.07) rounds off the midfield. 

In the backline, Jan Vertonghen (7.12) is Spurs’ second and final representative and partners Matthjis de Ligt (7.05) in defence. Nicolas Tagliafico (7.19) and the returning Noussair Mazraoui (7.25) occupy the left and right-back spots, respectively, as Andre Onana (6.76) edges out Hugo Lloris (6.71) between the sticks. 

It’s also poignant that it’s Ajax alumni Eriksen and Vertonghen who are the Spurs representatives in this XI, both of whom moved to London from Amsterdam in 2013 and 2012, respectively. Former Ajax stars Toby Alderweireld and Davinson Sanchez are both expected to face their former side tonight, too, as Ajax hope to secure a first leg advantage in England.