Ajax rotates lineup for Willem II clash; Paes replaces recovering Ter Stegen

Ajax manager Míchel made multiple changes to his starting lineup for the Wednesday evening match against Willem II in the Eredivisie. Most notably, Maarten Paes took over in goal from Marc-André ter Stegen, who is recovering from a serious injury. Míchel explained the decision as an opportunity for Ter Stegen to continue his rehabilitation ahead of an upcoming international break, hinting that the German goalkeeper may be called up by his national team.

The rotation extended to the outfield, with several personnel changes. Owen Wijndal returned to the left-back position, displacing Caio Henrique, while Lucas Rosa started at right-back instead of Anton Gaaei. In midfield, Davy Klaassen returned to the starting eleven in place of Jorthy Mokio, though Julian Brandt and Sofyan Amrabat retained their positions. Forward Kasper Dolberg led the attack instead of Tolu Arokodare, who was sidelined by illness and fever throughout the week and sat on the bench.

Míchel characterized the changes as partly tactical and partly necessary. Beyond Ter Stegen's injury management and Arokodare's illness, Míchel stated the alterations were designed to bring other players into match fitness. Oscar Gloukh started on the left wing ahead of Oliver Edvardsen, who faced criticism for his performance in Ajax's 1–5 victory over Fortuna Sittard the previous weekend. Steven Berghuis operated on the right, with Thilo Kehrer and Youri Baas continuing in central defence.

Ajax entered the match in fifth place in the Eredivisie standings after three consecutive away victories, though the team was still seeking its first home win of the season. Willem II, managed by John Stegeman, remained in sixteenth place and fielded an unchanged lineup from its 1–1 draw with AZ the previous Friday. The match was a makeup fixture from the third round, originally postponed in August due to Ajax's Conference League playoff commitments against FC Sion.