John Heitinga has given his assessment of Chelsea ahead of Ajax’s Champions League fixture against the Blues.
Heitinga takes his Ajax side to Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night as they look for their first win in the competition.
As for Chelsea, they are hoping to make it back-to-back victories in the Champions League after beating Benfica last time out.
It is a fixture that will see Jorrel Hato take on his former club. Ahead of the game, Enzo Maresca revealed that Hato was struggling with English football’s physicality and intensity.
Ajax manager John Heitinga at press conference
Photo by ANP via Getty Images
Chelsea have ‘power’ and ‘speed’
Assessing this Chelsea team, Heitinga has identified two key strengths. In the Dutchman’s eyes, they are a side who possess both “power” and “speed”.
“I know Chelsea’s strengths and weaknesses,” Heitinga stated in his pre-match press conference (via SuperSport). “They have a lot of power, a lot of speed. Positional shifts, with fullbacks coming into midfield.
“This season, for example, they beat Liverpool. They’re a team you have to be on your guard for over the full 90 minutes.”
As a player, Heitinga has faced Chelsea on numerous occasions. In one game, Heitinga was even able to score against Chelsea.
With the amount of injuries that the Blues have at the back, the 41-year-old will feel that his Ajax team can really get at their back four.
Chelsea started the season without Levi Colwill and recently lost Benoit Badiashile to another injury. With Badiashile sidelined, some Chelsea fans would like to see Hato play in the left centre-back position.
Chelsea defender Benoit Badiashile with teammate Levi Colwill
Photo by Boris Streubel – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images
Chelsea’s and Ajax’s Champions League records so far
Wednesday night’s game is one that Ajax need to win more, having lost their first two Champions League matches.
Maresca’s men also lost their opener to Bayern Munich but were able to bounce back on matchday 2 thanks to that victory over Benfica.
2025/26 Champions League record Games Wins Draws Losses Goals scored Goals conceded
Chelsea 2 1 0 1 2 3
Ajax 2 0 0 2 0 6
Going into the game, Chelsea have found a bit of form, beating both Nottingham Forest and Liverpool since their win against Jose Mourinho’s side.
As a result, Chelsea supporters will be feeling confident, and Opta’s supercomputer thinks they should be.
According to Opta’s supercomputer, Chelsea have a 71.2% chance of defeating Ajax at Stamford Bridge. Sitting 19th in the Champions League table, they also need a victory, albeit not as much as their opponents, who sit rock bottom.