Paris v Ajax background
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
Article summary
Group F leaders Paris Saint-Germain have qualification already assured as they host an AFC Ajax side seeking the consolation of third place once again.
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Article body
Leaders Paris Saint-Germain have qualification already assured as they host an AFC Ajax side still winless in Group F.
• Paris wrapped up their progress to the last 16 by beating APOEL FC on matchday four, when a home loss to FC Barcelona confirmed Ajax's elimination.
Match background
Paris
• The French team are looking to advance as group winners for the third year running.
• With their 1-0 victory over APOEL last time out, Paris made it 31 matches unbeaten at home in UEFA competition (21 wins, ten draws). This run dates back to a 4-2 reverse to Hapoel Tel-Aviv FC in the UEFA Cup group stage in November 2006.
• Prior to their 1-1 draw at Ajax on matchday one, Paris's sole previous meeting with Eredivisie opposition was a 4-0 home success over FC Twente in the 2008/09 UEFA Cup group stage. Zoumana Camara and substitute Clément Chantôme are the only survivors in today's Paris squad.
Ajax
• Ajax are aiming to secure the consolation of third place in their section for the fifth season running in the UEFA Champions League.
• Ajax have lost three and drawn one of their last four matches in France – their most recent trip bringing a 0-0 draw at Olympique Lyonnais in the 2011/12 UEFA Champions League group stage. Davy Klaassen appeared as a late substitute while Gregory van der Wiel was in the Ajax starting XI.
• Ajax's overall record in France in W4 D2 L4. Their last victory away to Ligue 1 opposition was a 2-0 success at Lyon in the 2002/03 first group stage.
• This term marks the 20th anniversary of Ajax's last UEFA Champions League triumph.
Coach and player links
• Ajax's Frank de Boer and visiting coach Laurent Blanc captained their respective countries in France's 2-1 home friendly win against the Netherlands in February 1997. The pair also faced each other in a 1995 friendly in the Netherlands, which France edged 1-0.
• De Boer scored in a 3-2 Dutch victory over France in Amsterdam at UEFA EURO 2000. Blanc did not play in that group match but helped France win the tournament.
• As a player, Blanc helped Montpellier Hérault SC beat PSV Eindhoven in the 1990/91 European Cup Winners' Cup first round, and later eliminated Vitesse with FC Internazionale Milano in the 2000/01 UEFA Cup second round.
• De Boer hit his first goal in UEFA club competition against AJ Auxerre in a 1-0 home success in the 1992/93 UEFA Cup quarter-finals. Ajax still went out 4-3 on aggregate, but De Boer's record against French clubs in his playing career was good: W4 D0 L1.
• Dennis Bergkamp, De Boer's assistant coach, scored in Ajax's 3-0 first-leg victory at Olympique de Marseille in the 1987/88 Cup Winners' Cup semi-finals (agg 4-2).
• Zlatan Ibrahimović made 74 Eredivisie appearances for Ajax (2001–04), registering 35 goals. He got AC Milan's equaliser in a 1-1 draw with his old club in the 2010/11 group stage.
• Van der Wiel (2006–12) and Maxwell (2001–05) are also former Ajax players, the former playing under De Boer for a season and a half.
• Ezequiel Lavezzi was in the Argentina side that downed Jasper Cillessen's Netherlands on penalties in the 2014 FIFA World Cup semi-finals.
• Blaise Matuidi scored past Cillessen in France's 2-0 friendly success against the Dutch in March this year. Klaassen made his Oranje debut that night.
• Kolbeinn Sigthórsson scored for Iceland in a 3-2 friendly loss to a France team coached by Blanc and featuring Yohan Cabaye in May 2012.
Match facts
Paris
• Paris have won each of their last seven games in all competitions, conceding four goals in the process.
• Paris and Chelsea FC are the only teams from Europe's top five domestic leagues yet to suffer a defeat in all competitions this season.
• Javier Pastore struck his first goal since April as Paris edged to a 3-2 victory at FC Metz on Friday night.
• Paris beat Ligue 1 leaders Olympique de Marseille 2-0 in the Classique on 9 November to close to within a point of the summit.
• Ibrahimović was a substitute against OM on his return from seven weeks out with a heel injury. He has not scored for Paris since August.
• Ibrahimović, who was named Swedish player of the year for the ninth time earlier this month, scored Sweden's goal in a 1-1 UEFA EURO 2016 qualifying draw in Montenegro on 12 November. He did not feature in the friendly against France six days later, though.
• Matuidi withdrew from the France squad for friendlies against Albania and Sweden to undergo surgery on a hand injury.
• David Luiz scored Brazil's opener in a 2-1 win against Austria in a Vienna friendly on 18 November.
Ajax
• Joël Veltman serves a one-game ban on matchday five. Anwar El Ghazi and Niklas Moisander are both a booking away from a suspension.
• Ajax have won five of their last six games and scored four goals in four of their last five.
• Arkadiusz Milik has scored 16 goals in his last 13 outings for club and country, including six as Ajax beat amateur Amsterdam side JOS Watergraafsmeer 9-0 in the Dutch Cup on 24 September.
• On 12 November, Ricardo van Rhijn and Veltman started the Netherlands' 3-2 friendly defeat by Mexico, the Oranje's 50th match at the Amsterdam ArenA. Cillessen kept a clean sheet in a 6-0 UEFA EURO 2016 qualifying win against Latvia at the same venue four days later.
• Milik provided a goal and an assist in Poland's 4-0 UEFA EURO 2016 qualifying win in Georgia on 14 November. He was on target again four days later in a 2-2 friendly draw against Switzerland.
• Thulani Serero, winning his 18th cap, scored his first international goal on 15 November and then claimed an assist as South Africa beat Sudan 2-1 to seal a place at next year's Africa Cup of Nations.
• Lucas Andersen made his senior international debut as Denmark lost 2-0 to Romania in a friendly on 18 November, playing alongside Nicolai Boilesen.
• Niki Zimling and Lerin Duarte scored as Ajax lost 3-2 to second-tier Sparta Rotterdam in a training ground friendly on 18 November.
• Viktor Fischer has been out with a hamstring injury since 23 February.