Kicking off the Farioli era in low-key fashion, Ajax played out their first pre-season friendly last Friday, losing 1-0 to fellow Eredivisie side PEC Zwolle at their De Toekomst training complex.
The Amsterdam club then secured the first success of the Italian coach’s reign on Tuesday evening, winning 4-0 against Sint-Truiden, thanks to goals from Jorrel Hato, Jaydon Banel, Carlos Forbs and Kenneth Taylor.
Having been appointed in the aftermath of one of Ajax’s worst seasons to date, Farioli has a big rebuild on his hands, and the former Nice boss will soon take his squad on a training camp to Utrecht, with two more warm-up matches on the agenda.
Al-Wasl FC of Dubai and Europa Conference League winners Olympiacos are their upcoming opponents, but first the Dutch giants must face Rangers in Wezep.
Ultimately, Ajax are building up to a tie with FK Vojvodina in the Europa League’s second qualifying round, after a late-season revival that took them up the Eredivisie table – from near the drop zone to a relatively respectable fifth-placed finish.
Although it was far from a vintage campaign at Ibrox last term, Rangers certainly did not endure such woes in 2023-24, pushing Celtic hard before faltering in the final phase of the Scottish title race.
After being hired last October, head coach Philippe Clement now prepares for his first full season in charge of the Light Blues, and his squad have travelled to the Netherlands for a training camp.
A fortnight of training in Scotland has tuned them up for the task of a challenging series of friendlies, starting with Wednesday’s behind-closed-doors goalless game against Standard Liege.
Following their weekend meeting with Ajax, Rangers must then tackle Manchester United and Union Berlin before the 2024-25 season begins in earnest.
With their opening-day trip to Tynecastle only three weeks away – and a third qualifying round Champions League tie to follow soon after – Clement will be keen to build some momentum and bed in fresh faces.
Wednesday’s practice match against Standard Liege saw Rangers field two very different teams in either half, with summer signings Connor Barron, Clinton Nsiala and Jefte all getting their first minutes.
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A similar approach is expected on Saturday, when Philippe Clement will be without long-term absentees Danilo and Zak Lovelace, plus Todd Cantwell, who is set to leave the club. Cyriel Dessers may be involved, though.
Liam Kelly has arrived from Motherwell to provide competition for first-choice goalkeeper Jack Butland and could play some part, having missed out in midweek due to a delayed arrival in the Netherlands.
Ajax, meanwhile, named a stronger starting lineup in their defeat to PEC Zwolle than against Sint-Truiden last time out, and Francesco Farioli may now revert to something like his best available XI.
