Ajax vs Feyenoord | Eredivisie | de Klassieker | Predictions, Tips & Odds

In Dutch football there is one true classic: the matches between Feyenoord and Ajax. Always heated, exciting and full of emotions. The icing on the cake called Eredivisie. Read more about betting on Ajax – Feyenoord.

Ajax – Feyenoord | ‘de Klassieker’

Two of the most successful clubs in Dutch football have been competing against each other for over 100 years. We have been talking about the Classic Top Three for several decades. But the Klassieker is with Ajax and Feyenoord – Amsterdam vs Rotterdam or 020 vs 010. The two clubs that dominated Dutch football and the Eredivisie even before World War II and long afterwards. PSV ‘only’ started to become really successful in the mid-1970s.

Wedmarkten ‘de Klassieker’

When betting on football, Dutch football fans can hardly ignore Ajax and Feyenoord. And of course the bookmakers in the Netherlands again have plenty of odds, free bets, bonuses and promotions for every Classic.

Betting on ‘de Klassieker’ | Winner

Ajax have been the best most often, but don’t underestimate Feyenoord against their arch-rival. For example, Rotterdam fans still like to think back to the 6-2 victory on 27 January 2019 that included two goals from Robin van Persie.

When betting on football from the Klassieker, Ajax will often be listed as favourites. But if Feyenoord are in good form, you can grab a bigger win with a correct bet on a draw or win for Feyenoord.

Goal scorers

The last time no goals were scored in the Ajax -Feyenoord Klassieker was in January 2015 and the time before that in 1978. So you can almost always expect a goal or two at the Klassieker.

And what better way to take advantage of that than betting on the right goal scorer? The great thing is that it is far from always the strikers who score in the Classic either. Odds on other players are often even higher.

Special Odds for ‘de Klassieker’ Ajax vs Feyenoord

For a match between Ajax and Feyenoord, many Dutch bookmakers offer special odds and promotions. For example, they have odds boosts, special odds on players or free bets. Always keep an eye on the latest betting news from Mobile Wins Sports for the best odds and promotions!

History of ‘de Klassieker’

In the 1920s, Ajax and Feyenoord were together in the First Division West. On 9 October 1921, the best clubs from Amsterdam and Rotterdam faced each other for the first time. At Stadion Kromme Zandweg in Rotterdam, Ajax twice took the lead, but ended up 2-2. The “Amsterdammers” recorded their first victory in the second encounter in March 1922, 2-0. January 1923 saw the first win for Feyenoord, still in Amsterdam.

The first high-stakes matches were in the 1926-1927 and 1927-1928 seasons. Then both clubs played in the champions’ league, in which regional champions competed for the national title. In the first year, they both lost to Heracles Almelo.

In 1927-1928, it was all about the title. On 8 April 1928 Feyenoord won at home, on 9 April 1928 they won in Amsterdam and also became national champions. But in 1931 and 1932, Ajax ran away with the title. In 1936, it was Feyenoord again and a year later Ajax in the championship competition.

Increasingly serious from the 60s onwards

In 1960 there was a unique match between the two clubs. For Ajax and Feyenoord both finished the 1959-1960 season on 50 points. Ajax had scored more, but that was not a decisive factor at the time.

Therefore, a decider came on 26 May 1960 on ‘neutral ground’, the Olympic Stadium. Ajax won 5-1 through a hat-trick by Wim Bleijenberg and a goal by Sjaak Swart, among others, and thus became national champions.

The KNVB had also devised play-offs for placement in the European Cup I for the year 1960. Ajax, PSV and Feyenoord would decide in a mini-competition who could enter Europe. But UEFA balked, accepting only the national champion (Ajax).

The matches were still played and Feyenoord won, but got nothing in return. The only European encounter followed in 1962. Ajax won 4-2 in the Intertoto Cup final.

From the 1960s, De Klassieker Ajax Feyenoord was also increasingly important in the title race. Indeed, between 1964 and 1974, the Eredivisie championship only went to the two rivals: seven times Ajax and four times Feyenoord. From 1974 onwards, PSV increasingly became national champions and Feyenoord were increasingly left empty-handed.

After the national title in 1974, Feyenoord became champions only four more times in almost 50 years, but did win the KNVB Cup many times. In 1980, for instance, Feyenoord won the cup final from Ajax. From 1993, the battle for the Super Cup was sometimes added, between the national champion (often Ajax) and the cup winner (often Feyenoord).

Statistics for ‘de Klassieker’

In total, there have been as many as 199 Klassiekers up to and including the 2021-2022 season. Ajax won the most often, 92 times. Feyenoord were best 59 times and 48 times there was a draw. Needless to say, the goal difference is also in Ajax’s favour: 418-307.

15 players managed to score a hat-trick, ten players from Ajax and five from Feyenoord. John Guidetti was the last on 29 January 2012. Hans Venneker scored five times in the Klassieker on behalf of Feyenoord in 1964, Ruud Geels did the same for Ajax in 1975. On 18 September 1983, Ajax recorded their biggest win: 8-2, including a hat-trick by Marco van Basten.

The top scorer of all time in the Ajax Feyenoord Klassieker is Sjaak Swart. Mister Ajax managed to score a total of 18 times against Feyenoord in 17 years. First in 1958 and last in 1971.

In second place is a Feyenoord player, Cor van der Gijp – indeed, René’s uncle. He played at De Kuip between 1955 and 1964 and scored 14 times. Jari Litmanen scored 12 Klassieker goals for Ajax, as did Ajax’s all-time top scorer Piet van Reenen.

Ruud Geels is in fifth place with 10 goals: one for Feyenoord and nine for Ajax. Jaap Barendregt (Feyenoord), Marco van Basten (Ajax) and Henk Groot (Ajax) scored nine, Johan Cruijff eight: seven for Ajax and one for Feyenoord in 1984.

Top 4 Memorable Editions

We understand better than anyone how coloured these choices can be, depending on who fills it out. At Wed Meesters, we have fans from both camps. Therefore, a balanced Top 4 Classics Ajax Feyenoord, with results that both Amsterdam and Rotterdam love to remember.

1 November 1975: Ajax – Feyenoord 6-0

Ruud Geels is one of the players who played for both clubs. From 1966-1970 for Feyenoord and from 1974-1978 for Ajax. With the Amsterdammers, the super striker became Eredivisie top scorer all four seasons.

Against his old love Feyenoord, he scored no fewer than five goals on 1 November 1975. The 3-0 was particularly memorable. Opponent Willem van Hanegem later said he thought Geels had ‘fallen from a lamppost’, that’s how high he jumped.

18 September 1983: Ajax – Feyenoord 8-2

The seasoned football fan knows that Johan Cruijff made the switch from Ajax to Feyenoord in 1983, due to a row with the Ajax management over his salary. And then came that Ajax-Feyenoord classic.

Early in the season, Feyenoord and Cruijff got hugely beaten by Ajax. With an elusive Jesper Olsen and hat-trick scoring Marco van Basten. Cruijff would get his revenge with a win at De Kuip and the national title, but this defeat cut deep.

29 January 2012: Feyenoord – Ajax 4-2

The last hat-trick of the Feyenoord Ajax Klassieker was scored over a decade ago. John Guidetti played just one season in Feyenoord’s service. But he made an indelible impression. Against Ajax at De Kuip, he scored 3 of his 20 goals in just 23 games that season.

27 January 2019: Feyenoord – Ajax 6-2

In the 2018-2019 season, Ajax became national champions and lost just four times. But one of those four defeats still reverberated in Amsterdam for a long time. Feyenoord made mincemeat of Ajax at De Kuip:

Famous players who played for Feyenoord and Ajax

There have been several dozen players who have played for both Ajax and Feyenoord in the past. And experienced the Klassieker Ajax Feyenoord with Amsterdam and Rotterdam sentiment. In such a case, you automatically become famous. We highlight the most notable players outside Johan Cruijff, who we have already discussed above.

Eddy Pieters Graafland: from Ajax to Feyenoord

The goalkeeper, Eddy PG for short, played for Ajax from 1950 to 1958, grabbing the national title once. Then he made the move to Feyenoord for a record fee.

In Rotterdam, he would become national champion four times. In his final season, 1969-1970, he was mainly Eddy Treijtel in goal. Still, he got to play the European Cup I final, which he also won with Feyenoord from Celtic.

Henk Groot: from Ajax to Feyenoord to Ajax

He is number four on Ajax’s all-time top scorer list, but also played at Feyenoord. Henk Groot went from Stormvogels to Ajax in 1959 and played four seasons in Amsterdam. In 1963, he made the salient move to Feyenoord, where he played for two years and became national champion in 1965.

New Ajax coach Rinus Michels wanted striker Groot back in 1965 and Ajax paid big money. He played five more years in Amsterdam, but a serious injury ended his career in 1970 just before Ajax would become Europe’s best. Incidentally, Arnold Scholten would also make the Ajax – Feyenoord – Ajax transfer series in the 1980s and 1990s.

Ronald Koeman: from Ajax (via PSV and FC Barcelona) to Feyenoord

The only (former) footballer who has ‘played out’ the Classic Top Three to date is Ronald Koeman. The much-scoring defender went from FC Groningen to Ajax in 1983. After three seasons, he left for PSV for another three seasons. And after six years at FC Barcelona, he concluded his active career at Feyenoord between 1995-1997.

This makes him the only person to have played at all three top clubs. As bonus, he also trained all three of them (as well as Oranje and FC Barcelona). With Ajax and PSV, he won national championships as a player and trainer, with Feyenoord he did not win any prizes. Leo Beenhakker, incidentally, did win the Eredivisie as coach of both Ajax (1979-1980 and 1989-1990) and Feyenoord (1998-1999).

Betting on The Classic

Ajax – Feyenoord at the Johan Cruijff Arena. Feyenoord – Ajax at De Kuip. Matches that everyone eagerly awaits all week. Fans, bookmakers and punters.

Do your research beforehand, determine the most favourable betting markets for you, find the best odds, grab odds boosts, profit boosts and free bets. And make sure that whatever the result…. you will be the winner of the Ajax Feyenoord Classic around 16:45 on Sunday afternoon.