Paris Saint-Germain v Ajax: Dutch outfit quietly confident

Ajax are quietly confident they can be the team to end Paris Saint-Germain’s 20-match unbeaten run in competitive games.

The two sides meet in the French capital on Tuesday in Group F of the UEFA Champions League, with the hosts’ progression to the last 16 already secured.

PSG have won three of their four matches in the group stages – their only blemish being a 1-1 draw at Ajax in September.

That sees them top the pool with 10 points – one ahead of Barcelona – while Ajax sit third and are still after their first victory.

PSG can win the group if they claim victory and Barcelona lose at APOEL. For Frank de Boer’s men, who cannot progress in Europe’s premier competition, victory would at least confirm third.

With that comes a place in the UEFA Europa League and it is a position that the four-time defending Eredivisie champions are targeting.

After a 4-1 league win over Heerenveen on Saturday that saw them keep the pressure on leaders PSV, Anwar El Ghazi is quoted as saying on the club’s official website: “Now we have won, the good work [continues] towards Paris.

“I think there [we can] definitely get something.

“We just need to be third [in the group]…it is an advantage that Paris is already [qualified].”

Ajax trailed 1-0 with just 24 minutes remaining but were greatly benefited by Luciano Slagveer’s red card and an own goal from Daley Sinkgraven.

El Ghazi, Ricardo Kishna and Arkadiusz Milik all scored in the latter stages for Ajax and although the performance was scrappy, midfielder Davy Klaassen shared his team-mate’s enthusiasm.

“On the basis of today, we are not ready for Tuesday’s game. But I’m quite confident,” he said.

PSG almost had their winning streak, which now stands at seven matches, brought to an end against Metz on Saturday.

Laurent Blanc’s men led 2-0 in the early stages but two Modibo Maiga penalties set up a nervy finish.

Ezequiel Lavezzi, who had earlier scored in the first half, was on hand to net an 83rd-minute winner for PSG, though, as they triumphed 3-2 in Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s return to the starting line-up.