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Ajax won the first leg last week away in Belgium 2-0 and are now close to reaching the round of 16 in the Europa League. The hosts squad value is costing way more than the guests one and we could see this in the first leg. After the bad start of the last season John van't Schip ultimately led Ajax to 5th place and thus into the Europa League. Last summer, there was a fresh start under the new management duo of Alex Kroes and Marijn Beuker. Francesco Farioli was the first foreign coach to be hired since more than 20 years and Ajax found its way back to success surprisingly quickly. Last weekend, Ajax took the lead in the Dutch Eredivisie. They are wo points ahead of champions PSV and can extend this cushion with a catch-up game in hand. Three seasons ago Union Saint-Gilloise returned to the Belgian first division and immediately caused a stir with two second places and a third place. While the club has so far been denied a major triumph in the league since its comeback, it was able to celebrate its first title with victory in the Belgian Cup in May 2024. This season Union have to pay tribute to the great loss of team that has grown ever greater after the numerous successes of the past few years. After 26 matchdays, the team is in third place. However, the gap to league leaders Genk is already 14 points. Coach Pocognoli's team dropped points mainly with the ten draws his team produced.
