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Preview: Paris v Ajax

Laurent Blanc asks for a "killer instinct" as qualified Paris Saint-Germain hunt top spot in Group F, while Frank de Boer wants AFC Ajax to "prove we can get points away from home."

Laurent Blanc's Paris are aiming to pip Barcelona to top spot in Group F
Laurent Blanc's Paris are aiming to pip Barcelona to top spot in Group F ©AFP/Getty Images

Laurent Blanc demands a "killer instinct" as Paris hunt top spot
Frank de Boer feels Ajax must prove a point at Parc des Princes
Paris unbeaten in 19 games in all competitions this term; they have won their last seven
Zlatan Ibrahimović made his first Ligue 1 start since September on Friday
The sides drew 1-1 in Amsterdam on matchday one

Permutations: Paris (10pts) v Ajax (2)
Paris are through and will win the group if they gain victory and FC Barcelona lose at APOEL FC.
•  Ajax cannot finish in the top two but would clinch a UEFA Europa League place if they win and APOEL lose to Barcelona.

Possible lineups
Paris: Sirigu; Van der Wiel, Marquinhos, David Luiz, Maxwell; Rabiot, Chantôme, Matuidi; Pastore, Ibrahimović, Lavezzi.
Out: Douchez (calf), Verratti (ankle), Cabaye (calf), Bahebeck (thigh), Thiago Motta (calf), Thiago Silva (thigh)
Doubtful: none

Ajax: Cillessen; Van Rhijn, Moisander, Van der Hoorn, Boilesen; Andersen, Serero, Klaassen; Schöne, Milik, El Ghazi.
Out: Fischer (hamstring), Veltman (suspended)
Doubtful: Schöne (knee)

Laurent Blanc, Paris coach
What has changed for us since the draw in Amsterdam? We have improved a lot, especially our confidence. We still have to improve our fitness and in how we play, but despite all this, we're still here. Against Ajax, we will be faithful to our philosophy, as usual, and I'm sure Ajax will be too. But what we need to do is to have more of a killer instinct than in Amsterdam.

Ajax nurture great players – it's in their DNA. For me, they are a legendary club – they have never changed their philosophy and never stopped nurturing very, very good players.

Zlatan: My Champions League journey

At Ajax we could have won. I thought the draw was a decent result, but the critics felt it was a very bad one. When you are Paris Saint-Germain, you need to win everything. In the Champions League, the real business starts in March or April, if you manage to get that far. We needed to qualify – job done. Now we aim to win our group.

Frank de Boer, Ajax coach 
Our results on the European stage in recent years have been very disappointing, but we had the opportunity to get better results at home against Paris and Barcelona. Yet when you play against top European clubs you have to be in your best form and hope for them to be a bit under what they usually do. And we must admit that the draw wasn't too easy on us ... Tomorrow our goal will be to reassure ourselves and get a good result here.

We'll try and prove we can take points away from home. It's really difficult when you're facing players like [Edinson] Cavani, [Zlatan] Ibrahimović or [Ezekiel] Lavezzi, who are top players, very fast. However, I do not want to see my players play with fear in their heart. Paris may seem weakened, but that's only on paper. With [Blaise] Matuidi, [Adrien] Rabiot and [Javier] Pastore, you have quite a talented midfield.

Weekend results
FC Metz 2-3 Paris (Maiga 49pen 53pen; Pastore 9, Bussmann og 16, Lavezzi 83)
Ajax 4-1 SC Heerenveen (Sinkgraven og 66, El Ghazi 72, Kishna 73, Milik 84pen; Slagveer 18)

Form guide (all competitions)
Paris: WWWWWW
Ajax: WWLWWW

Match facts
• How many goals did Zlatan Ibrahimović score in his 74 league games for Ajax? Find out in our extensive match background.

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