Ajax should try to turn sustained possession and a high press into repeated entries at home. Atalanta can defend in a compact shape, then release Scamacca or De Ketelaere after Ajax lose the first pass or the next ball. A narrow score at the interval can still leave both routes active. The decisive stretch may come after an equalizer, when both sides have shown a quick second attack.
Ajax have built chances through Brandt, Mokio and advancing Wijndal, with Arokodare or Leonardo arriving for the first and second contacts. Their Groningen goals included pressure and corner rebounds, while errors in their own build-up have also led to chances. Atalanta's official squad omits Kolašinac after he played and left injured against Milan, alongside other central defenders, leaving Kristensen with a young or displaced partner; Ajax's missing Blind and Dolberg already missed Groningen, and its replacement defenders have recent minutes together. Atalanta's late Milan response showed Scamacca, Krstović and the wide supply can answer Ajax's pressure. That's why I'm siding with a high-scoring Ajax against Atalanta match.
