Wesley Sneijder believes that this season, the Madrid "Real" team is vulnerable and Amsterdam "Ajax" has realistic chances in the UEFA Champions League.
"Now is a great time for the Ajax team. I do not see such a strong Real as it has been in recent years. Ajax is a very young team, but many have an unfair opinion about it because it has many high-class players who play excellent football," Sneijder expressed his opinion about the future pair of Champions League eighth-finals.
Both teams are well-known to Sneijder - he wore the jerseys of both clubs in the past. Despite Sneijder's view that the current Real team is weakened, he still considers the Madrid team the favorite against Ajax.
"They are still favorites, no matter how they are doing this season. However, if the Ajax team manages to achieve a positive result in the first match, then the Real team may face big problems. This will be a great opportunity to see the real level of Ajax. I cannot wait for these two matches," continued the Dutchman.
This season in the Champions League, Ajax narrowly missed winning their group. In matches against Munich's "Bayern," the Dutch did not lose to the German giant - both matches in Munich and Amsterdam ended in a draw.
Ajax has several young talents among its ranks, for whom all the most famous European clubs are already "fighting." Sneijder believes that Real has not yet appreciated the good composition that Ajax has.
"The team is incredible. And the way they play... They have experienced players like Blind and Huntelaar. Perhaps they do not have world-class stars, but the team has many excellent players. Many Madrid fans know nothing about Ajax. In my opinion, their starting lineup is of a very high level," Sneijder continued to praise his former team.
The eagerly awaited match between Ajax and Real will take place on February 13, with the return leg on March 5.
