Ajax are now on the verge of qualifying for the league phase of the UEFA Conference League. 

The Amsterdammers began their campaign with an 8-2 aggregate win against Serbian club Vojvodina. They then secured a 5-3 aggregate win against Shelbourne FC.

Ajax then travelled to Switzerland last week, where they defeated FC Sion 2-4 in the first leg of the tie. Ajax trailed 1-0 after Franck Surdez broke the deadlock, but a goal from new signing Julian Brandt levelled the score.

Marcos Leonardo then put Michel Sanchez's side ahead with his first competitive goal in an Ajax shirt. A penalty from Ilyas Chouaref drew the hosts level, but goals from Tolu Arokodare and Davy Klaassen mean that Ajax take a comfortable lead into Thursday's game in the Johan Cruijff ArenA.

While Ajax remain undefeated in the Conference League, they have shown signs of vulnerability, particularly in their away game against Shelbourne FC. They have at times looked defensively disorganised. 

In the Eredivisie, Ajax beat Zwolle 2-0 on the opening day, but failed to score until Zwolle went down to 10 men. They then threw away a 2-0 lead against SC Heerenveen and ended up drawing 2-2. There have been positive signs, but it is clear that Michel still has a lot of work to do.

Michel has confirmed that Ajax will be without three players against FC Sion on Thursday.

"Tomorrow's match comes too soon for Blind. The same applies to Bounida and Carrizo," Michel said.

"Unfortunately, Daley is injured, and we do not yet know when he will be able to train again. The medical team are currently assessing this. Yes, since the kick-off in the match against Shelbourne, he hasn't felt fit and doesn't feel okay to train," Michel explained.

"Bounida is not yet 100 per cent fit, but he is training again."

"Carrizo has recovered from his ankle injury, and hopefully he can start training again in the coming days."

While Ajax take a fairly convincing lead into Thursday's game, they must remain focused throughout. FC Sion are a good team and should not be underestimated.

The Swiss side caused Ajax problems in the first game and will likely put Ajax under serious pressure as they look for a way back into the tie. The first goal will be crucial. If Ajax score first, it will calm nerves and provide them with a very convincing lead. If Sion score first, the pressure on Ajax will increase drastically.

Should Ajax indeed qualify for the league phase of the Conference League, they could go quite far in it. However, Ajax need a few more signings before the transfer window closes to ensure they have enough depth to challenge for the Eredivisie title and still go far in the Conference League.

Ajax are closing in on the signing of Viktor Tsyhankov from Girona for a fee of under €5 million. Ajax remain in the market for a left winger to replace Mika Godts, a defensive midfielder and a right-footed centre-back. The transfer window closes on 2 September 2026 at 23:59.