Martin Jol, the Ajax coach, must refocus his troops on domestic matters after the euphoria of reaching the Champions League group phase for the first time in five years.
The club head into tomorrow's match at De Graafschap second in the league, having picked up seven points from their first three games.
"On my arrival at Ajax last year we had a few goals - score many goals, concede few goals and reach the Champions League," Jol said. "We have now achieved them all - and with a young squad.
"This means a lot. Also for Dutch football. It is good that we have managed this."
Ismail Aissati, 22, joined Vitesse Arnhem on a season-long loan from Ajax earlier this week. "I'm looking forward to the first game,"he said.
PSV Eindhoven, the Eredivisie leaders and the only unbeaten team, are also in action tomorrow at ADO Den Haag.
Third-placed FC Utrecht travel to face last season's champions FC Twente.
Today
Breda v VVV
Roda v Heracles
NEC v Heereveen
Tomorrow
De Graafschap v Ajax
Twente v Atrecht
Feyenoord v Vitesse
Den Haag v PSV
AZ v Excelsior
A State of Passion
Directors: Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi
Stars: Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah
Rating: 4/5
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
MATCH INFO
Rugby World Cup (all times UAE)
Final: England v South Africa, Saturday, 1pm
The bio
Favourite vegetable: Broccoli
Favourite food: Seafood
Favourite thing to cook: Duck l'orange
Favourite book: Give and Take by Adam Grant, one of his professors at University of Pennsylvania
Favourite place to travel: Home in Kuwait.
Favourite place in the UAE: Al Qudra lakes
Brief scores:
Manchester City 2
Gundogan 27', De Bruyne 85'
Crystal Palace 3
Schlupp 33', Townsend 35', Milivojevic 51' (pen)
Man of the Match: Andros Townsend (Crystal Palace)
Scorecard:
England 458 & 119/1 (51.0 ov)
South Africa 361
England lead by 216 runs with 9 wickets remaining
Fanney Khan
Producer: T-Series, Anil Kapoor Productions, ROMP, Prerna Arora
Director: Atul Manjrekar
Cast: Anil Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai, Rajkummar Rao, Pihu Sand
Rating: 2/5