Brian Hayes/Imagn

Reports: 11 Ajax players test positive for COVID-19 ahead of Champions League clash

Dutch Eredivisie side Ajax will be without 11 players for Tuesday's Champions League match at Midtjylland after they tested positive for COVID-19. 

Per Reuters (h/t ESPN) and Andy Edwards of NBC Sports, only 17 players are making the trip for the European fixture that is set to go on, as scheduled, as long as 13 first-team individuals are available for the outfit out of Amsterdam. 

An official statement from the club confirmed that goalkeepers Andre Onana and Maarten Stekelenburg were omitted, meaning Kjell Scherpen is the only available player at the position. An outfield player will have to take Scherpen's place in the event of an injury or sending off. 

Ajax captain Dusan Tadic and midfielders Ryan Gravenberch and Davy Klaassen are among noteworthy and recognizable names who didn't make the midweek trip. As of Monday afternoon, Ajax hadn't confirmed the 11 individuals who tested positive for the virus. All who test positive must complete quarantines and produce negative test results before they're welcomed back to the squad. 

While Ajax sit atop the Eredivisie table on goal difference after taking 18 points from seven matchdays, they are third in Group D of the Champions League with just one point earned from their first two games. Ajax fell to Liverpool and then earned a draw against Atalanta in October fixtures. 

Midtjylland lost their first two Champions League games of the campaign.

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