Brighton vs Ajax prediction 26/10/2023

• Date: 26/10/2023
• Competition: Europa League
• KO: 20:00 UTC +1 / 21:00 CEST
• Venue: The American Express Community Stadium (Falmer, East Sussex)

Europa League action returns to the American Express Community Stadium on Thursday evening as Brighton hosts managerless Ajax.

Brighton vs Ajax Betting Tips: BTTS / Over 2.5 goals

Few might have imagined Brighton being odds-on-favourites against an Ajax side that reached the semi-finals of the Champions League just a few years ago. 

While the Seagulls have enjoyed a dramatic rise in the past twelve months, Ajax have gone in the other direction and the Dutch side arrives on the south coast remarkably inside the Eredivisie relegation zone.

Winless in their last eight matches across all competitions, head coach Maurice Steijn was unsurprisingly removed as head coach after a 4:3 defeat against Utrecht last weekend. Remarkably, Ajax have collected just five points from seven league matches this season. 

However, while the Dutch are in terrible shape, Brighton´s great early-season form has also dipped in recent weeks. The Albion have failed to win their last five matches after a 3:1 loss at Man City last time out. 

Both teams remain without a win in Europa League Group A. Ajax have picked up two points after back-to-back draws with Marseille (3:3) and AEK (1:1). Brighton have just one point after their home loss against AEK (2:3) and a subsequent 2:2 draw against Marseille in France. 

Given both team's recent performances and results, we have to expect a high-scoring fixture on Thursday. Brighton have seen BTTS in their last 11 successive home matches while nine of those also saw over 2.5 goals scored. Likewise, Ajax have seen the same two outcomes in four of their last six matches while five of their last six on the road also saw BTTS.

With home advantage, Brighton might be fancied to claim the points by many, but I´m going for goals with BTTS/over 2.5 goals and over 3.5 goals also likely outcomes on Thursday.