Titans trembling as big night looms

AFC Ajax are looking to avoid a second early exit in as many years while Sevilla FC are short-staffed as the lineup for the UEFA Champions League group stage is decided this week.

Concluding ties
Tuesday and Wednesday will see the conclusion of all of the 16 third qualifying round ties, with some of Europe's top clubs - including last season's finalists Liverpool FC - looking to book their place in the group stage. Amsterdam giants Ajax, however, face an uphill task if they are to avoid a second shock exit in as many years.

Ajax on edge
Bowing out against FC København at the same stage last season, Henk ten Cate's side surprisingly lost the home leg of their tie against SK Slavia Praha 1-0 and now face a demanding trip to the Czech capital on Wednesday. However, a 4-1 league win against SC Heerenveen - following an 8-1 win in their opener against De Graafschap - has given Ajax reason to feel confident.

Good form
"Twelve goals in two matches - that's not bad," said Ten Cate. "We've made a strong start to the league and looking at Wednesday, we have gained some confidence. We will have our chances in Prague and we are confident that we will finish the job." However, with Hedwiges Maduro suffering from concussion and fellow midfielder Gabri still injured, Ajax are two men down.

Sevilla shock
Sevilla's situation is similar as they look to maintain the 2-0 lead they picked up in the home leg of their tie against AEK Athens FC on Tuesday night. The UEFA Cup holders are still in shock after Antonio Puerta suffered a heart attack during Saturday's 4-1 league win against Getafe CF, and to make matters worse fellow defender Daniel Alves has withdrawn from the squad to travel to Greece, seeking a transfer.

Angry president
Absent from the Getafe game with a muscular problem, the Brazilian will not travel to Greece as he does not want to jeapordise any prospective move to another side involved in Europe. Sevilla president José María Del Nido said: "It shows a complete lack of respect to his team-mates given the tough times we're going through with Antonio Puerta's condition and what's at stake."

Draw on Thursday
Elsewhere, FK Crvena Zvezda and FC Dinamo 1948 Bucuresti will look to build on good first-leg results as their ties against Rangers FC and S.S. Lazio respectively conclude on Tuesday, while the following night will see FC Salzburg battle to enter European football's promised land as they defend a 1-0 lead at big-spending FC Shakhtar Donetsk. The draw for the group stage will be held in Monaco on Thursday evening.