Chelsea are searching for back-to-back Champions League wins when they face a struggling Ajax side in Gameweek 3 of the league phase.
It was an absolute classic when these two sides last met in west London, with the Blues fighting back from 4–1 down to earn a point against Erik ten Hag’s team, who were just a few months removed from their heartbreaking semifinal defeat at the hands of a Lucas Moura-inspired Tottenham Hotspur.
The Ajax Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea are facing here pales in comparison to that swashbuckling iteration. Johnny Heitinga has inherited an emotionally scarred squad after last season’s collapse, with the new manager quickly feeling the heat at the start of 2025–26.
Ajax currently sit fourth in a weak Eredivisie, and have been beaten in both of their league phase outings without scoring a goal. Marseille put four past them last time out as well.
Chelsea, meanwhile, ended Ange Postecoglou’s brief Nottingham Forest tenure at the weekend and have won three games on the bounce. After losing 3–1 in Munich to kick-off their continental campaign, they responded with a slender victory over Benfica on José Mourinho’s latest Stamford Bridge homecoming.
Here’s’s guide to Wednesday’s game.
