The league phase of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League campaign continues at pace this midweek, with Chelsea seeking to continue their good form with the visit of Ajax to Stamford Bridge.
Enzo Maresca’s side dispatched of Nottingham Forest 3-0 at the City Ground at the weekend, to make it three successive victories for the Blues after their recent mini blip.
Ajax, on the other hand, have endured a very tough start to their Champions League campaign after to a 2-0 loss at home to Inter before a 4-0 hammering at the hands of Marseille at Stade Velodrome.
AllSportsPeople brings you this betting preview, complete with the latest tips, predictions and odds ahead of what promises to be an exciting clash.
Chelsea vs. Ajax: Who Will Win?
Even with three successive victories either side of the October international break, Chelsea’s performance level has remained relatively low, and Blues fans still have a few concerns.
Ajax head to London with plenty of work to do in terms of the overall qualifying picture, following the appointment of Arne Slot's former assistant Johnny Heitinga as their new coach.
The Dutch side are one of the weaker teams in the 36-team league phase and Chelsea have to be viewed as firm favourites to get a comfortable victory here with home advantage.
BET NOW: Who will win the Champions League? | Who will win the Premier League?
Head-to-Head: Chelsea vs. Ajax
- There have only ever been two meetings between Chelsea and Ajax, with one draw shared and the Blues winning the other game.
- Those clashes came in the 2019/20 group stage, with Chelsea winning 1-0 in Amsterdam before a thrilling 4-4 draw at Stamford Bridge a couple of months later.
Chelsea vs. Ajax Form Guide
Chelsea — Last 5 Matches (All Competitions)
- Nottingham Forest 0-3 Chelsea (Premier League)
- Chelsea 2-1 Liverpool (Premier League)
- Chelsea 1-0 Benfica (Champions League)
- Chelsea 1-3 Brighton (Premier League)
- Lincoln 1-2 Chelsea (EFL Cup)
Ajax — Last 5 Matches (All Competitions)
- Ajax 0-2 AZ Alkmaar (Eredivisie)
- Sparta Rotterdam 3-3 Ajax (Eredivisie)
- Marseille 4-0 Ajax (UEFA Champions League)
- Ajax 2-1 NAC Breda (Eredivisie)
- PSV 2-2 Ajax (Eredivisie)
Chelsea vs. Ajax Score Prediction
Chelsea, especially with their home advantage, will believe they are heavy favourites for this one, despite the fact they are still generally lacking some fluency in the final third.
That said, they are coming up against an Ajax side who are struggling to compete at this level and Chelsea should eventually ease to victory, even if it is to be hard fought.
Prediction: Chelsea 2-0 Ajax (7.50 on Dafabet)
MORE: Top October betting events | How odds work | How to bet in-play
Chelsea vs. Ajax Team News
Chelsea Team News
- Chelsea have a key absentee in attack for this one as Joao Pedro, who joined for £60 million over the summer, is missing through suspension.
- As well as his absence, fellow attacker Liam Delap remains out injured and so Tyrique George is expected to start up-front.
- They have a few other injury issues, including Cole Palmer and Enzo Fernandez.
Ajax Team News
- Ajax are waiting on Owen Wijndal, who is a doubt due to injury.
- Branco van den Boomen, Kasper Dolberg and Steven Berguis are also all doubtful.
- Former Burnley and Manchester United striker Wout Weghorst, is expected to lead the line for Ajax in west London.
Chelsea vs. Ajax Predicted Lineups
This is how we think these two sides will line up:
Chelsea predicted lineup to play Ajax
(4-3-3) Sanchez (GK) — James, Acheampong, Chalobah, Cucurella — Lavia, Moises Caicedo — Neto, Santos, Alejandro Garnacho — George
Ajax predicted lineup to play Chelsea
(4-4-2) Jaros (GK) — Rosa, Itakura, Baas, Gaaei — Regeer, Klaassen, Gloukh, Taylor, Godts — Weghorst
Chelsea vs. Ajax Betting Odds
All odds are via Dafabet
- Chelsea to Win (1.25)
- Ajax to Win (6.80)
- Draw (11.00)
Chelsea vs. Ajax Betting Tips
- Best bet: Chelsea to win to nil (2.27 with Dafabet)
- Alternative bet: Pedro Neto to score any time (3.00 with Dafabet)
Chelsea might be dealing with their fair share of injuries, but they're set to face an Ajax side that looks completely out of sorts, still reeling from last season's collapse and nowhere near finding their rhythm again.
With Enzo Maresca returning to the dugout after his touchline ban, the Blues have a golden opportunity to cut loose under the lights on Wednesday, much like Marseille did in the second round of fixtures.
As for John Heitinga, he'll be desperate to spark some kind of reaction from his struggling squad, but given their current form and lack of confidence, it's tough to picture anything other than another goalless night — and another defeat — for the Dutch visitors.
Neto has emerged as a bigger danger up front since his hat-trick at the Club World Cup and looks primed to open his scoring account in this season’s Champions League.
How to watch Chelsea vs. Ajax: Live stream, TV channel
Here's all the key information on how to watch Chelsea vs. Ajax tonight.
- Date: Thursday, October 23
- Venue: Stamford Bridge, London, England
- Time: 12:30 a.m. IST
- TV/Stream: Sony LIV app