Positive Ajax face former favourite

By Jules Marshall in Amsterdam

AFC Ajax's new Argentinian acquisition, Mauro Rosales, is doubtful for Wednesday's Group C meeting with Juventus FC in Amsterdam, according to his coach Ronald Koeman.

Gold medal winner
Rosales, an Olympic gold medal winner in Athens last month, made an immediate impression when he came on for Tom de Mul in Sunday's 3-3 draw with ADO Den Haag. However, the right winger strained his left groin in a closed training session on Monday and will have to undergo a lunchtime fitness check on the day of the game to see whether he makes the starting lineup. Tomás Galášek and John O'Brien are already ruled out with injuries.

Positive approach
Koeman hopes he will not have to make too many changes, and promised a positive approach, whoever played, against the "strongest, smartest and most experienced" side in the section. "We have a major opponent," he said, "but we want - and will dare - to play a forward-pressing game. If I'm asked today, a draw would not be a bad result for us. But we do have a slight chance of [achieving] more on the day."

Slack defence
Koeman agreed that his young defence had been slack in letting a 3-0 half-time lead slip away on Sunday. "Their concentration and attitude were questionable, that and the typically Ajax desire to find a solution to problems by playing football." But, looking ahead to Wednesday's match, he remained optimistic. "Games like tomorrow are the easiest for a coach as everyone is already really motivated," he said, before adding wryly: "I don't expect us to be 3-0 up at half time tomorrow."

European giants
The game brings together two of the most successful teams in European football history, the pair having contested 13 European Champion Clubs' Cup finals, including two against each other in 1973 and 1996, and won the trophy six times between them. Both sides under-performed by their standards in the Champions League last season, a young Ajax squad exiting at the group stage, while Juve fell in the first knockout round with what was regarded as an ageing squad.

New boys
Juve's new coach, Fabio Capello, has strengthened his side with €45m worth of new players including Emerson and Jonathan Zebina from former club AS Roma, plus Fabio Cannavaro, Olivier Kapo, Manuel Blasi, Landry Bonnefoi and, of course, the Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic who was prised away from Ajax on transfer deadline day.

Ibrahimovic returns
Ibrahimovic, who came off the bench to score in the Bianconeri's 3-0 defeat of Brescia Calcio on Sunday, has promised not to celebrate if he is on target against his old club. Koeman said of the Swede: "We lost a good, young, strong player [in Ibrahimovic]. But losing young talent to bigger clubs has always been part of the Ajax experience." He expressed the hope that Ibrahimmovic would receive a positive reception from the Ajax fans, but added: "What I hope and what I expect are two different things."

Significant test
Asked if the match against Ajax represented a serious test of his side's prospects in Europe, Capello replied that a good result would "have great significance". Capello, who is without the injured Zebina, added that "although not the strongest Ajax team there has been, they are still a very good side. We have made psychological and physical progress with the Brescia game, and this Juventus team has a good chance of performing well in this group".