Ajax lie in wait for wounded PSV

AFC Ajax may have abandoned hope of catching Dutch Eredivisie leaders PSV Eindhoven but sparks should still fly when the sides meet in Amsterdam on Saturday.

Splendid form
With 20 points separating Guus Hiddink's table-toppers from Danny Blind's men, fourth-placed Ajax are out of the championship race, but with five straight league wins - including 6-0 demolitions of RBC Roosendahl and Sparta Rotterdam - confidence is high.

Testing schedule
"We have had a schedule that has allowed us to win a number of matches in a row," Blind told uefa.com. "However, our next run of games against PSV, [FC] Internazionale [Milano], [FC] Groningen and Roda [JC] will be testing and a measure of how far we have come."

Huntelaar prolific
With ten goals in his last five outings, striker Klaas Jan Huntelaar is flying and another against PSV could edge him closer to an international debut with the Netherlands, though coach Marco van Basten has so far proved immune to the 22-year-old's talents.

Absent players
However, with Nourdin Boukhari suspended, Zdeněk Grygera, Tomáš Galásek and Johnny Heitinga injured, and Wesley Sneijder still doubtful with a hamstring strain, Ajax will not be at full strength against a PSV side who exited the UEFA Champions League with a 4-0 defeat at Olympique Lyonnais.

Big lead
PSV are seven points clear of second-placed Feyenoord but will be eager to keep the Rotterdam team at a distance, knowing the two clubs must meet again before the season's end. Hiddink will therefore hope his men can raise themselves from their midweek disappointment.

Disappointing result
"Of course the defeat at Lyon was disappointing, but you have to be realistic and not be depressed for too long," he said. "It is just a fact. We know what our strengths and weakness are, and have to work on that. You cannot keep crying about it for too long."

Happy hunting ground
Saturday's game might be a good occasion to dry the tears. Since the Amsterdam ArenA opened in August 1996, the sides have met nine times in the stadium with PSV winning seven to Ajax's one. A painful week could yet end well for Hiddink.