Ajax eye chance to avenge Dinamo defeats

Yet to win a game in UEFA Europa League Group A, AFC Ajax will look to lay some old ghosts to rest as NK Dinamo Zagreb return to Amsterdam for a third time, having won on both of their previous visits.

Previous meetings
• Most recently, Branko Ivanković's Dinamo knocked Henk ten Cate's Ajax out of the 2007/08 UEFA Cup first round, losing 1-0 in Croatia but prevailing 3-2 after extra time at the Amsterdam ArenA.

• The teams for that second leg on 4 October 2007 were:-
Ajax: Stekelenburg*, Colin (Delorge, 34), Emanuelson*, Stam, Heitinga, Gabri*, Maduro (Urzaiz, 103), Rommedahl*, Van der Wiel* (Ogăraru*, 61), Suárez*, Huntelaar.
Dinamo: Koch, Cale, Sammir* (Guela, 68), Etto*, Drpić, Mandžukić*, Modrić, Pokrivač, Schildenfeld (Carlos*, 106), Tadić (Mikić, 78), Vukojević.

• The clubs also met in the 1998/99 UEFA Champions League group stage, drawing 0-0 in Zagreb before Velimir Zajec's Dinamo beat Morten Olsen's Ajax 1-0 in Amsterdam.

• The teams for that game on 25 November 1998 were:-
Ajax: Van der Sar, Blind, Frank de Boer, Sier (Melchiot, 41), Ronald de Boer, Witschge, Dani, Mensah, Hoekstra, Wamberto (Babangida, 73), Hosé (McCarthy, 64).
Dinamo: Ladić, Tokić, Krznar (Jurčić, 46), Marić, Jurić, Rukavina (Šabić, 81), Dario Šimić, Šarić (Josip Šimić, 54), Cvitanović, Jeličić, Bišćan*.

• Current coach Krunoslav Jurčić came on at half-time for Dinamo while Danny Blind, now his club's assistant coach, started for Ajax. His son, Daley Blind, is a member of the current Ajax squad.

*eligible to play in this game.

Match background
• Dinamo's arch-rivals HNK Hajduk Split fared considerably worse than the Zagreb side on their two trips to Amsterdam; Ajax's only other home games against Croatian opponents ended in 6-0 and 3-0 wins against Hajduk.

• No visiting side has won in the seven matches at the Amsterdam ArenA since Dinamo's success in 2007. However, four of Ajax's last five UEFA club competition home contests have ended in draws.

• Matchday 2's 3-0 win at FC Timişoara ended a seven-game wait for a European away win for Dinamo. It was only Dinamo's second away success in the group stage of a UEFA club competition in 13 attempts – with the other one coming against Ajax.

Team facts
• Ajax coach Martin Jol is up against Croatian opposition for the first time. The former Netherlands midfielder (three caps) spent much of his playing career at ADO Den Haag but also represented FC Bayern München, FC Twente, West Bromwich Albion FC and Coventry City FC. He has coached Roda JC, RKC Waalwijk, Tottenham Hotspur FC and, last season, reached the UEFA Cup semi-finals with Hamburger SV.

• Dinamo trainer Jurčić is also a former international midfielder, having won 21 caps for Croatia. He spent much of his career with Dinamo but also played abroad for Belgian side KSK Beveren, and in Italy for Torino FC and UC Sampdoria.

• Jurčić and experienced Dinamo midfielder Igor Bišćan both featured in Dinamo's 1-0 win at Ajax in 1998 (see above).

• Ajax striker Marko Pantelić and Dinamo defender Leandro Cufré were team-mates at Hertha BSC Berlin this spring, with the latter on loan from AS Monaco FC.

• Dinamo defender Robert Kovač played in a 2-2 draw at the Amsterdam ArenA with Bayern in the 2004/05 UEFA Champions League group stage.

• The two sides meet again in Croatia on 5 November for Matchday 4.