Ajax are the most successful club in Dutch top-flight history with 36 league titles to their name, including each of the last three completed seasons (they were also top in the cancelled 2019-20 campaign), while Feyenoord have won 15 titles – only PSV Eindhoven have tallied more if you exclude Ajax’s 24. Feyenoord’s last title came in 2016-17, but this could be their year – they are currently three points ahead of Ajax in the Eredivisie table with 11 games remaining.
In this fixture on Sunday, Ajax (W6 D1 currently) are aiming to go unbeaten in eight consecutive meetings with Feyenoord in all competitions for just the fourth time in their club history (previously 15 in 2006-2011, 11 in 1995-1999 and eight in 1987-1991).
The battle between these two teams will always turn heads and attract attention, but the times of Feyenoord being able to challenge the Amsterdammers at their own home have truly passed. Or so it seems. Feyenoord have defeated Ajax on 11 occasions away in Amsterdam in the Eredivisie, but their last league victory in the Johan Cruyff Arena came on 28 August 2005 (2-1). For context, the youngest player to feature for Ajax this season – 2006-born Jorrel Hato – wasn’t even alive when Feyenoord last won a league match away in Amsterdam. On that day, Dirk Kuijt and Salomon Kalou were on fine form for Feyenoord, as they assisted one another to help take all three points.
The reigning champions have only failed to score in one of their last 47 league games – this in a 0-0 draw with FC Twente on 14 January, which was also the only game they didn’t score in their last 22 at home in the competition. Feyenoord’s current scoring run is at 23 games, last failing to find the net in a 0-0 draw at sc Heerenveen in their second game of the 2022-23 Eredivisie season (13 August).
In order to win a league title, it’s extremely helpful to be hard to beat and Feyenoord are certainly that. They have lost just once in the Eredivisie so far this season, with their current unbeaten run standing at 18 games (W12 D6 L0), last tasting defeat in a league match on 18 September, where they were defeated 4-3 at PSV Eindhoven. This is their best unbeaten league run since a sequence of 26 games between November 2019 and December 2020.
Arguably the biggest strength of Feyenoord’s class of 2022-23 is that they don’t accept defeat. The Eredivisie comeback kings have won a league-high 21 points from losing positions – which is the joint-most across the top 10 ranked European leagues this season alongside Scottish team Rangers. They have only won more in an Eredivisie season back in 2021-22 (24) and 1998-99 (22).
