LEAGUE
Celts take on the Dutch giants once more
STADIUM
ONE TO WATCH
EURO RECORD
EUROPA
With a capacity of 52,000, The
Amsterdam ArenA was the first
European stadium to be built with
a retractable roof and is one of the
most modern in world football.
However, it had initially been
accused of lacking the special
atmosphere that was evident at
De Meer, the club's previous
ground. Ajax opened the ArenA
with a friendly against Italian
giants AC Milan in 1996, the side
they had beaten 1-0 to win their
fourth European Cup a year earlier.
It was originally meant to be the
crown jewel of Amsterdam's 1992
Olympics bid, but the plans had
to be altered after Barcelona was
chosen to host the games. As well
as being home to Ajax, the ArenA
used to host the Amsterdam
Admirals, at one time the city's
American football team.
Polish internationalist, Arek
Milik has earned 17 caps for his
country, scoring seven goals in the
process. He joined Ajax, initially
on loan, from German side Bayer
Leverkusen having moved to the
Bundesliga in 2012 after earning
his spurs in his homeland with
Gornik Zabrze. His initial move to
Ajax was in 2014 after a previous
loan period in Germany with
FC Augsburg but after scoring
23 goals in 33 games for the
Bavarian side, they made his
signing permanent. No fewer
than six of those goals (and two
assists) came in a 9-0 cup win
over local fourth-tier side JOS
Watergraafsmeer and he is back
on the goals trail this season, with
strikes against Rapid Vienna in
Europe and in the Eredivisie. He
has also found the net against
Scotland as he scored for Poland in
the 2-2 European Championship
draw last October.
Ajax are four-time winners of
European club football's top
trophy, with their most recent
win coming in 1995 when they
beat AC Milan 1 -0 on the ever-so
magical date of May 25. Their
previous three wins came when
they were really at the top of their
game in lifting the European Cup
for three successive seasons in
1970/71, 1971/72 and 1972/73
when they took the phrase Total
Football' to a different level
altogether. The Dutch side also
lifted the European Cup-Winners'
Cup in 1986/87 and the UEFA
Cup in 1991/92, as well as
claiming the UEFA Super Cup three
times and the Intercontinental Cup
twice.
LAST SEASON
Last term, the Amsterdam side
finished second in the Eredivisie
10
