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The Catalan giants will be looking to seal a berth in the knockout stages with a win when they face Ajax at their home stadium, the Amsterdam Arena. In what could be a thrilling encounter, Barcelona will be without their star forward Lionel Messi, but will have Brazilian sensation Neymar to inflict the maximum possible damage on the Dutch team.
Speaking ahead of Ajax’s Champions League clash with Barcelona the Ajax manager said: “We want to be second in the group but, even without Messi, Barcelona have lost very few points in both the league as well as the Champions League. Even without Messi they have a lot of great players.”
Frank De Boer, the Ajax coach, has stressed that his side need to gain motivation from the 7-0 humbling of the defending La Liga champions by Bayern Munich in the last edition of the Champions League. He hopes that his side can go and play the match knowing that Barcelona can be beaten. Ajax have four points from as many matches and could go second if results go their way, but they could also be eliminated if they lose and Milan win at Celtic.
Barcelona has been in outstanding form this season, sitting on top of the table and yet to lose a match in the La Liga, with arch rivals Real Madrid sitting third. ‘Tata’ Martino’s players hope to segregate the men and the boys at the Amsterdam Arena, with many key players missing from their regular lineup. This fixture will be Barcelona’s 250th in the history of the Champions League, while a draw would be their 100th in UEFA competition.
Ajax lost to Barcelona (4-0) in their previous Champions League fixture at the Camp Nou.
Team News
Barcelona have been hit with a lot of injuries, with goalkeeper Victor Valdes, Lionel Messi, and Jordi Alba being the ones in the starting eleven who will have to watch from the stands. Alexis Sanchez and Neymar, both in inspiring form this season, are expected to start and add to the firepower.
The Dutch champions, who have lost their last nine matches against Spanish opposition, climbed to second in the league thanks to a 3-0 home win over Heracles on Saturday. Niklas Moisander returned from a knee injury in that match, but Kolbeinn Sigthorsson and Siem de Jong missed out after picking up injuries on international duty. Forward Bojan Krkic, who is on loan at Ajax from Barcelona, has not played since tearing his hamstring in September.
Formations
Barcelona coach ‘Tata’ Martino is expected to use his regular and match winning formation, with Xavi expected to return to the starting eleven to keep the possession and direct the game going. Neymar is likely to stay at his regular left wing position, while Fabregas might be put as a Center Forward while Sanchez will be deployed on the right wing.
Xavi, Busquets and Iniesta are expected to control the midfield with their regular pace and rhythm. With Full Backs Jordi Alba and Adriano injured, it will be interesting to see who Martino will deploy as a Left Back, while Mascherano and Pique are expected to start as Center Backs, with Montoya deployed at Right Back.
Ajax are expected to use their regular 4-3-3 formation, with Danny Hoeson replacing the injured Bojan Krkic, Klaasen and Serero as attacking midfielders, Van Rhijn as a defensive midfielder and Shone and Fischer on both wings. Boilesen, Moisander, Veltman and Denswil are expected to complete the back four while Cillessen will be the man between the sticks.
Key Players
Barcelona – Neymar and Alexis Sanchez.
The in-form forwards are the ones that will torment the Ajax defence to their best, and are expected to speed up digits on the scoresheet with their lethal touch. Their partnership and understanding has already been a source of worry for Ajax coach Frank De Boer and this being their home match, a lot of tackles and shoves are expected to fly in to stop the duo.
Ajax – Hoesen and Fischer.
These Ajax forwards have already netted in a lot of goals in the Eredivisie, helping in a 3-0 rout of Almelo in their league encounter. Playing at home, they are expected to cause some problems for the Catalan defence, and it will be interesting to see if they can make their team win through this tight encounter.
Form
Ajax (All competitions) - WLWWW
Barcelona (All competitions) - WWWWW
Prediction:
Ajax 1-3 Barcelona
