After a disappointing defeat to Hajduk Split in the UEFA Conference League on Thursday, Ajax now prepare to take on FC Groningen in an away fixture.

Ajax were very poor in Split. The first half in particular was very underwhelming, and even though they did improve in the second half, the performance was still not at the required level.

Ajax currently sit 5th in the Eredivisie with 15 points in eight games. Pressure is growing on Michel Sanchez, but a win against Groningen would put Ajax just one point behind PSV Eindhoven after Peter Bosz's side lost 2-1 to ADO Den Haag on Saturday night. Feyenoord currently sit at the top of the table with 23 points in nine games.

Groningen have had a solid start to the season and currently sit 6th, just one point behind Ajax. They will be coming into this game high on confidence, having won their last two games very convincingly. They beat PEC Zwolle 3-0 and defeated Excelsior 1-5 last weekend.

Which Ajax players are unavailable against Groningen?

Kasper Dolberg will be sidelined for an extended period of time after suffering a knee injury during the international break. Caio Henrique is also unavailable as he continues to recover from a thigh injury. Daley Blind has not played in over two months due to an injury, and he is also expected to be unavailable for selection on Sunday.

Both Steven Berghuis and Anton Gaaei have missed Ajax's last few games, but it is unclear whether they are fit enough to be involved against Groningen.

Simon Adingra signed for Ajax with an injury. He finally made his debut against NEC Nijmegen last weekend but did not travel with the squad to Split as he was not fit enough. It is unclear whether he is available for selection against Groningen.

Ajax's predicted starting line-up

In goal, Marc ter Stegen will keep his place. Thilo Kehrer was Ajax's right-back against Hajduk Split and should do the same against Groningen. Jofre Torrents had a poor first start for Ajax against Hajduk Split and will likely be dropped. Owen Wijndal is an option in that position, but Michel should move Youri Baas to left-back. That would let Dies Janse start next to Aaron Bouwman in central defence.

In midfield, Sofyan Amrabat should start in defensive midfield. Davy Klaassen scored on Thursday, but Jorthy Mokio should take his place in the team as the No. 8. Groningen are an energetic team, and Mokio's mobility will be crucial. Julian Brandt had a poor game on Thursday, but he has been exceptional in most games so far this season and has to start against Groningen.

On the left wing, Abdellah Ouazane should start. He did not have his best game against Hajduk Split, but he has been very promising in most games this season. On the right wing, Viktor Tsygankov will likely start, as it is unclear whether Berghuis is fit enough. Oliver Edvardsen can also play there, but he has only played 107 minutes in the Eredivisie this season. Tolu Arokodare is in good form and will start as the striker.

Ajax predicted starting line-up: Ter Stegen; Kehrer, Bouwman, Janse, Baas; Amrabat, Mokio, Brandt; Tsygankov, Tolu, Ouazane.