Ajax face foreign legion with a fiercely passionate coach in the Conference League
Ajax face Denmark's FC Midtylland in the third round of Conference League league-phase fixtures this week. A 2-0 win over Atalanta has boosted the Amsterdam side's confidence, and they are competing near the top of the Vriendenloterij Eredivisie. What can they expect from the relatively unknown leaders of the Danish Superligaen? Voetbalzone take a closer look at the side hosting the Dutch visitors on Thursday.
In Europe, Midtjylland have struggled. They took only a point against Albania's Egnatia (1-1), before Belgium's Sint-Truiden left the MCH Arena with a 2-1 victory. They are still waiting for their first Conference League win. The Superligaen tells a different story: Mike Tullberg's side lead the Danish league with 31 points from twelve matches and have recorded nine domestic wins. Major title favourites FC Copenhagen trail them by five points.
Much quality lost
Midtjylland's league form looks all the more impressive given the talent they lost last summer. Striker Franculino and winger Aral Simsir were sold to Trabzonspor for €35 million, taking more than 30 goals and a string of assists with them. The Danish club also sold centre-back Han-beom Lee to Club Brugge (€9 million) and frequently scoring midfielder Valdemar Byskov to AZ (€6 million). Right winger Dario Osorio joined Crystal Palace on loan, with an option for the club to bring the Chilean winger to England permanently next year for €32 million.
To replace those key players, Midtjylland turned to the transfer market. Former Ajax defender Rasmus Kristensen arrived from Eintracht Frankfurt for €6 million, while the club set aside more than €7 million to sign winger David Martínez, a Venezuela international under contract at Los Angeles FC. Midfielder Kjell Wätjen swapped Borussia Dortmund for the Danish leaders, and Nordin Bakker left sc Heerenveen for a new challenge at Midtjylland. Friday Etim strengthened the attack after a successful spell at Fredericia, as did Mileta Rajkovic, who joined on loan from Legia Warsaw.
Passionate coach Much of Midtjylland's strong form stems from the ambitious Tullberg. The 40-year-old coach from Farum had a modest playing career that ended in 2011 at Germany's Rot-Weiss Oberhausen. The former forward soon moved into coaching and joined Borussia Dortmund in 2019. He coached the second team and the Under-19s, then briefly took charge of the first team in the Bundesliga and Champions League as interim coach at the start of 2025. At the end of the 2024/25 season, Tullberg stepped back again at BVB, before Midtjylland's board appointed him a few months later.
With Tullberg at the helm, Midtjylland challenged for the Danish league title for much of last season. Aarhus GF won the championship, but Tullberg's team claimed the national cup. Han-beom Lee scored in the 82nd minute of the final on 14 May to beat favourites FC Copenhagen 1-0. In Europe, Midtjylland finished third in the Europa League league phase before Nottingham Forest proved too strong over two legs in the round of 16. The club could still take satisfaction from that European campaign.
Tullberg's enthusiasm can spill over on the touchline: he received no fewer than nine yellow cards for heated behaviour in the 2025/26 season. During matches, he constantly coaches and encourages his team. He wants his players to play aggressively, press forward and get straight at their opponents. Midtjylland are dangerous on the counter-attack, but that approach carries a risk when they lose possession, with space often left behind the defence. Tullberg demands complete dedication and effort from his squad every day.
Links between the two clubs Founded in 1999, Midtjylland are not one of European football's biggest names. Yet they signed Rafael van der Vaart in 2016, in the twilight of his career. Despite high expectations, the much-discussed move failed to take off. Then-coach Jess Thorup regularly complained about the experienced Dutchman's fitness, and Van der Vaart played only 20 matches in total. In his second season, he rarely made the matchday squad and finished the 2017/18 campaign with just six minutes on the pitch across two substitute appearances. Midtjylland were crowned champions, but the midfielder watched from the stands.
Sporting director Claus Steinlein stressed in an interview with Ekstra Bladet that Van der Vaart's brief spell at the MCH Arena was not a complete failure despite those sporting disappointments. "We are still happy with him. Firstly, for commercial reasons. Shirt sales have risen and there has also been more media interest. Van der Vaart is also a real mentor to our young players. They can all see that, as a player, he brings something extra onto the pitch," the Danish official said in August 2017.
Beyond Van der Vaart, other players link Ajax and Midtjylland. Viktor Fischer spent time in the Danish club's youth academy before the Amsterdam side brought him to the Netherlands in 2011. Kristensen, now captain of the Danes, once left Midtjylland for Ajax. A definitive breakthrough eluded him, and the right-back chose Red Bull Salzburg in 2019. He has never regretted joining Ajax, however. "I gave everything for Ajax and still follow the club. The decision to go from FC Midtjylland to Ajax was the best of my life," the defender recently told Ajax Life.
An injury to first-choice goalkeeper Elías Ólafsson gave Nordin Bakker his chance several weeks ago, and the Dutchman seized it with both hands. The former Almere City FC and sc Heerenveen goalkeeper has now played eight matches, including the 2-1 win in the top-of-the-table clash with FC Copenhagen. Bakker looks certain to start when Ajax visit on Thursday. "I'm really looking forward to it. I was back in the Netherlands last week, and my family and friends are talking about nothing else but that match," the North Holland native told Bold in early October.
Young club Founded on 1 July 1999 through a merger between Ikast FS and Herning Fremad, Midtjylland have a short history compared with Ajax. The ambitious club leadership wanted to create a football powerhouse in Central Jutland. Midtjylland played their early home matches in Ikast before moving to Herning in 2004. They soon rose to the top in Denmark and, after several second-place finishes in the Superligaen, finally won the title in 2015. It was a huge milestone for a club only sixteen years old. Midtjylland are now regulars in European competitions and an attractive destination for players from outside Denmark. Their current squad includes players from Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Colombia, Germany, the Netherlands, Japan and England, among other countries.
Previous meetings Thursday's match will be only the third between Ajax and Midtjylland. Their two previous meetings came in the 2020/21 season. On 3 November 2020, Ajax left Denmark with a 2-1 win thanks to goals from Antony in the opening minute and Dusan Tadic. A few weeks later, Ajax won 3-1. Ryan Gravenberch, Noussair Mazraoui and David Neres all scored in the second half before Awer Mabil grabbed a consolation for the visitors in the 80th minute. Midtjylland finished with ten players after Erik Sviatchenko received a red card in stoppage time. The Scandinavian side have another chance on Thursday to beat Ajax for the first time in the club's history.
