All eyes will be on Ajax on Sunday for the final day of the Eredivisie season but for all the wrong reasons following Marco van Basten's shock resignation yesterday.
The Dutch giants have once again missed out on the Champions League as last weekend's 4-0 reverse at Sparta Rotterdam, coupled with FC Twente's 3-0 win over newly-crowned Eredivisie champions AZ Alkmaar, consigned Ajax to third spot and a place in the Europa League next term.
That led to the 44-year-old's decision to quit after less than one year of his four-year contract and assistant John van't Schip will take charge for the final game of the season, at home to Steve McClaren's Twente.
Ajax captain Thomas Vermaelen admits it has come as a shock to the players too and has urged the fans to help them put the events of this week behind them by willing them to victory on Sunday.
"You always hope to work with a coach for a long time," he told www.ajax.nl. "You know that after that 4-0-defeat there would be speculation about the coach's position. But we had not expected this.
"The news was hard, everyone is disappointed. We will never know whether it is the right solution. We had confidence in the coach.
"We are at least as much responsible for the performance on the field.
"We hope that the fans will be behind us Sunday. It is an important game. We can use any support now."
It will be a very different mood in Alkmaar where the champions will be looking to sign off a great season with victory over Heerenveen.
However, the visitors have even more of an incentive as a win coupled with defeat for PSV Eindhoven at Willem II would earn them a place in the Europa League.
At the wrong end of the table rock-bottom Roda JC travel to Feyenoord knowing victory would take them out of the automatic relegation place and even a draw could suffice to help them maintain their Eredivisie status with De Graafschap playing host to FC Volendam.
A draw at the De Vijverberg would see Volendam replace Roda at the foot of the standings if they avoid defeat, while wins for both those sides would see De Graafschap demoted.
ADO Den Haag could also be sucked into the relegation play-off depending on their result at home to Vitesse Arnhem who know victory could see them sneak into the Europa League play-off places.
The match at relegation-threatened Heracles Almelo has the same at stake as visitors FC Utrecht are level with Vitesse and just two points off Feyenoord and NAC Breda who travel to FC Groningen with their hosts already assured of a place in the European play-offs.
Elsewhere, NEC Nijmegen host Sparta Rotterdam.
That led to the 44-year-old's decision to quit after less than one year of his four-year contract and assistant John van't Schip will take charge for the final game of the season, at home to Steve McClaren's Twente.
Ajax captain Thomas Vermaelen admits it has come as a shock to the players too and has urged the fans to help them put the events of this week behind them by willing them to victory on Sunday.
"You always hope to work with a coach for a long time," he told www.ajax.nl. "You know that after that 4-0-defeat there would be speculation about the coach's position. But we had not expected this.
"The news was hard, everyone is disappointed. We will never know whether it is the right solution. We had confidence in the coach.
"We are at least as much responsible for the performance on the field.
"We hope that the fans will be behind us Sunday. It is an important game. We can use any support now."
It will be a very different mood in Alkmaar where the champions will be looking to sign off a great season with victory over Heerenveen.
However, the visitors have even more of an incentive as a win coupled with defeat for PSV Eindhoven at Willem II would earn them a place in the Europa League.
At the wrong end of the table rock-bottom Roda JC travel to Feyenoord knowing victory would take them out of the automatic relegation place and even a draw could suffice to help them maintain their Eredivisie status with De Graafschap playing host to FC Volendam.
A draw at the De Vijverberg would see Volendam replace Roda at the foot of the standings if they avoid defeat, while wins for both those sides would see De Graafschap demoted.
ADO Den Haag could also be sucked into the relegation play-off depending on their result at home to Vitesse Arnhem who know victory could see them sneak into the Europa League play-off places.
The match at relegation-threatened Heracles Almelo has the same at stake as visitors FC Utrecht are level with Vitesse and just two points off Feyenoord and NAC Breda who travel to FC Groningen with their hosts already assured of a place in the European play-offs.
Elsewhere, NEC Nijmegen host Sparta Rotterdam.
Copyright (c) Press Association
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