Amstel Cup: Ajax to play NAC in ArenA, Young Ajax travels to Twente
29 October: After the conclusion of the last third
round fixtures the draw for the 'round of sixteen' of the
Amstel Cup took place live on Dutch TV station SBS6. The
draw determined that Ajax-1 will start its Amstel Cup
campaign with a home game against NAC Breda. Young Ajax,
meanwhile, will have to travel to Enschede, for its second
Amstel Cup clash with FC Twente.
Ajax (the first team) and NAC Breda met several times in cup
competition. The last time was in the quarter final on 11 March
1998 in the Amsterdam ArenA. Ajax was slightly stronger: 2-1.
The Amsterdammers went on to win the Amstel Cup that season.
Ajax and NAC even met each other in two Dutch Cup finals: in
1961 and 1967. On both occasions the trophy went to Amsterdam.
The Breda club won the cup once: in 1973. Ajax was eliminated
on the way to the final, in the second round: 2-2 after extra
time, after which NAC advanced on penalties.
Young Ajax will have to play its fourth consecutive away
fixture in the Amstel Cup. FC Twente will regard their home
fixture against Young Ajax as the perfect opportunity to take
revenge on the Ajax rookies for the humiliating defeat the
'Reds' suffered in an extatic Amsterdam ArenA on 12
December 2001: back then an unforgettable Jason Culina
strike in stoppage time made it 1-1. The young Amsterdammers
eliminated FC Twente on a 'golden goal' from the penalty spot.
Walker was the scorer.
The second Amstel Cup confrontation between FC Twente and
Young Ajax is spicy for another reason: at the time John van 't
Schip was head-coach of FC Twente. He was later fired by the
club from the eastern Netherlands, to become the new coach of
Young Ajax, with which team he will return to Enschede's
Diekman Stadium.
The 'round of sixteen' draw in full
- SC Heerenveen - NEC
- Sparta Rotterdam - RBC Roosendaal
- Heracles Almelo - Hoek
- Feyenoord - Vitesse
- Ajax - NAC Breda
- FC Twente - Young Ajax
- PSV - Willem II
- FC Utrecht - RKC Waalwijk
UPDATE (04 November): the KNVB has now
announced the exact dates and kick-off times for both Ajax
games in the round of sixteen of the Amstel Cup. FC Twente vs
Young Ajax will be played on Tuesday 16 December, kick-off
19:30 CET. The first team's home fixture against NAC Breda
follows the next day: Wednesday 17 December, kick-off 20:45
CET. (MP)
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