AMSTERDAM - (lr) Dusan Tadic of Ajax, David Neres of Ajax, Davy Klaassen or Ajax celebrate the 2-0 during the Dutch Eredivisie match between Ajax and SC Heerenveen in the Johan Cruijff Arena on October 18, 2020 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. ANP MAURICE VAN STEEN

Ajax confirm 24-man squad travelling to Liverpool – 5 ex-Premier League players

Ajax have confirmed a 24-man squad travelling to Liverpool for the Champions League group clash on Tuesday night, with only one injury in the senior ranks.

The Reds are back in action after an enforced break over the weekend, and come up against an Ajax side in excellent form having won their last seven games.

That included a 4-0 victory over Rangers in their Group A opener last week, followed by a 5-0 thrashing of SC Heerenveen in the Eredivisie on Saturday evening.

Unlike Jurgen Klopp, Ajax manager Alfred Schreuder has few injury issues to contend with at this stage of the season, with left-back Owen Wijndal the only notable absentee from the squad flying to Merseyside.

Wijndal started the first three games of the season, assisting twice in the 5-3 defeat to PSV Eindhoven for the Johan Cruyff Shield, but has been sidelined ever since.

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Tuesday, December 1, 2020: Ajax’s Daley Blind during the UEFA Champions League Group D match between Liverpool FC and AFC Ajax at Anfield. Liverpool won 1-0 to win the group and progress to the Round of 16. (Pic by Paul Greenwood/Propaganda)

Daley Blind has filled in at left-back in Wijndal’s absence, with the ex-Man United utility man expected to keep his place for the trip to Anfield.

Otherwise, it is a full-strength squad for Schreuder, who has called up Jong Ajax midfielder Kristian Hlynsson, 18, among the 24 players to fly.

Dusan Tadic, Steven Bergwijn, Jurrien Timber, Remko Pasveer, Calvin Bassey, Devyne Rensch, Edson Alvarez, Mohammed Kudus and Kenneth Taylor are all involved and likely to start.

AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS - Wednesday, October 21, 2020: Ajax's Daley Blind (L) and Davy Klaassen during the pre-match warm-up before the opening UEFA Champions League Group D match between AFC Ajax and Liverpool FC at the Johan Cruijff ArenA. (Pic by Orange Pictures via Propaganda)

Among the Premier League alumni within the Ajax squad along with Blind, Tadic and Bergwijn – who represented United, Southampton and Tottenham respectively – are ex-Everton duo Maarten Stekelenburg and Davy Klaassen.

Klassen opened the scoring in the 5-0 win over Heerenveen at the weekend, and will be vying with Steven Berghuis for a starting spot on Tuesday.

Other notable names in the group are Dutch striker Brian Brobbey, back at Ajax after a short stint with RB Leipzig, former Monaco and Sevilla forward Lucas Ocampos and ex-Hoffenheim midfielder Florian Grillitsch.


Ajax squad travelling to Liverpool

Ajax captain Dusan Tadic believes his side would have performed better than Tottenham against Liverpool in the 2019 Champions League final (Adam Davy/PA)

Goalkeepers: Pasveer, Stekelenburg, Gorter

Defenders: Timber, Bassey, Kaplan, Rensch, Blind, Sanchez, Magallan

Midfielders: Alvarez, Klaassen, Taylor, Berghuis, Grillitsch, Regeer, Baas, Hlynsson

Forwards: Tadic, Kudus, Bergwijn, Brobbey, Ocampos, Lucca