Amsterdam Tournament line-up and schedule confirmed

06 May: The International Event Partnership (IEP) and Ajax have officially confirmed that Ajax, Liverpool FC, AC Milan and Valencia CF are the participants in this year's Amsterdam Tournament at the Amsterdam ArenA. The playing schedule of the two-day tournament, which will take place on 26 and 28 July, was also revealed:

Thursday, 26 July

• Ajax vs AC Milan (7:00 PM)
• Valencia vs Liverpool (9:15 PM)

Saturday, 28 July

• Valencia vs AC Milan (6:30 PM)
• Ajax vs Liverpool (8:45 PM)

The participation of Italian giants AC Milan is not 100% certain. The Serie A team is still battling for UEFA Cup qualification. If they do not succeed, Milan will try to qualify for the UEFA Cup by reaching the final of the Intertoto Cup. The Intertoto games are played throughout the summer break, which may force AC Milan to cancel for the Amsterdam Tournament. If so, a yet unknown top club will replace AC Milan.

The Amsterdam Tournament does not have a final and uses a remarkable points system: a draw is one point and a win is three points, as usual, but teams get an extra point for each goal scored. This system was invented to make offensive play more attractive to the participating teams: a 5-4 defeat brings a team the same amount of points as a 1-0 victory.

Last year, Ajax performed well at the tournament. The game against Lazio Roma ended in a goalless draw, whereas Arsenal was beaten in convincing fashion: 2-0. FC Barcelona was the eventual winner of the tournament. As a special attraction, Liverpool's club anthem 'You'll Never Walk Alone' will be performed by Gerry Marsden, lead-singer of Mersey beat band Gerry & The Pacemakers, who had a smash hit with the song in the early 1960s. (MP)

(Source: official Amsterdam Tournament program flyer)