Brobbey passed at Ajax for CL duel with Rangers, Kudus in the striker | NOW

Ajax will face Rangers FC on Wednesday without Brian Brobbey in the first group match of the Champions League. Trainer Alfred Schreuder chooses Mohammed Kudus in the striker. Kenneth Taylor also has a starting spot against the team of Giovanni van Bronckhorst.

Brobbey’s reserve turn is remarkable, because he started in the base in all five of Ajax’s competition matches. In it, the striker, who came over from RB Leipzig for more than 16 million euros this summer, scored twice. Last Saturday he was substituted at half time in the home game against SC Cambuur (4-0).

Kudus then replaced Brobbey and was immediately accurate for Ajax. The Ghanaian tried to force a departure from Amsterdam last Wednesday, on the final day of the transfer market, by not appearing on the training field to Schreuder’s dissatisfaction. Kudus was in the interest of Everton, but Ajax refused to let him go.

Captain Dusan Tadic starts again as a right winger. Around and after Antony’s transfer to Manchester United, Steven Berghuis and Tadic alternated on the right side of the attack. A week and a half ago against FC Utrecht (0-2) and against Cambuur, Tadic also played as a right winger. In those matches he did not make a convincing impression, which led to the necessary criticism. So Schreuder leaves him there.

Berghuis receives assistance from Taylor in midfield. The twenty-year-old North Hollander sat on the bench against Cambuur, but came in after the break and gave an assist. Presumably the midfielder got some rest in that match. Taylor is experiencing his big breakthrough at Ajax this season and was included in the pre-selection of the Dutch national team for the first time in his career on Friday.

Davy Klaassen, who had a base place for the first time this season against Cambuur, and newcomer Lucas Ocampos are sitting next to Brobbey on the bench. Owen Wijndal is the only absentee in the match selection. The left back has been struggling with an ankle injury for some time. Mohamed Ihattaren is not registered for the Champions League.

Mohammed Kudus gets the chance from trainer Alfred Schreuder.

Schreuder makes his Champions League debut

For Ajax, the duel with Rangers FC is the kick-off of the Champions League campaign. The Amsterdammers hope to score high again in the million-dollar ball. Last season, the Dutch record champion won all matches in a group with Borussia Dortmund, Sporting CP and Besiktas, but in the first knockout round came a disappointing elimination against Benfica.

Schreuder makes his Champions League debut as a trainer against Rangers. The 49-year-old Barnevelder succeeded Erik ten Hag this summer, who left for Manchester United after a success period of 4.5 years. Schreuder had a hectic start in Amsterdam. He saw no fewer than five basic players leave and welcomed ten new players.

With Rangers FC Ajax will meet a formidable opponent. Van Bronckhorst’s team was too strong for PSV in the play-offs of the Champions League, as a result of which last season’s Europa League finalist plays in the largest club competition in the world for the first time since 2010. Rangers went down hard on Saturday in the Old Firm against Celtic (4-0).

It will be a special match for Calvin Bassey. The 22-year-old defender played for Rangers FC for two years before switching to Ajax last summer for a transfer fee of 23 million euros. The Nigerian was also a starting player in the Europa League final against Eintracht Frankfurt in May, which Rangers lost on penalties.

Ajax-Rangers FC will start on Wednesday at 6.45 pm. The duel in the Johan Cruijff ArenA in Amsterdam is led by the German referee Tobias Stieler. Ajax won all previous four meetings with Rangers, including the last edition in 1996 (0-1). Napoli-Liverpool, the other group A match, starts at 9 p.m.

Alfred Schreuder makes his debut as a coach in the Champions League.