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Ajax v København background

Ajax left Denmark with a 2-1 defeat in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League round of 16 tie, but that will not seem like an insurmountable obstacle as København come south.

Kasper Dolberg rises for a header in the first leg
Kasper Dolberg rises for a header in the first leg ©AFP/Getty Images

København's home form held as they beat Ajax 2-1 in their round of 16 opener, but the Dutch side may feel they have cause for confidence as they play host for the return fixture – despite FCK's flawless record in Amsterdam.

• Suspended:
Mathias Jørgensen (København)
Davy Klaassen (Ajax)

• Misses next match if booked:
Ajax: Lasse Schöne, Kenny Tete, Nick Viergever
København: none

Previous meetings
• The clubs are meeting for a sixth time in UEFA competition. FCK's record against Ajax is W3 D1 L1 (W2 D0 L0 in Amsterdam).

Hans Backe's FCK beat Co Adriaanse's Ajax 1-0 away in the 2001/02 UEFA Cup second round following a 0-0 draw in the home leg. Then, in the 2006/07 UEFA Champions League third qualifying round, Ståle Solbakken's FCK won 2-0 at the Amsterdam ArenA after losing 2-1 at home to Henk ten Cate's side.

• Ajax's seven games against Danish teams have ended W2 D2 L3 (W1 D0 L2 at home).

• FCK's record in seven meetings with Dutch sides is W3 D2 L2 (W2 D0 L1 in the Netherlands).

Highlights: København 2-1 Ajax

Form guide
• Ajax are unbeaten in ten European home games (W5 D5), but only one of those victories came by a margin of more than one goal.

• FCK have lost only once in seven European away games this season (W3 D3 L1).

• Ajax last made it to the round of 16 in 2014/15, when they lost to Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk. They lifted the UEFA Cup in 1992 to complete a full set of major UEFA trophies; they were European champions in 1971, 1972, 1973 and 1995 and claimed the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1987.

• København have not featured in the spring phase of a European competition since losing to Chelsea in the 2010/11 UEFA Champions League round of 16.

Links and trivia
• The journey from Copenhagen to Amsterdam is around 620km.

• København forward Andreas Cornelius turns 24 on the day of the match.

• København defender Nicolai Boilesen played for Ajax from April 2011 to August 2016.

• Ajax boast Danish talent in the form of Lasse Schöne and first-leg scorer Kasper Dolberg.

• FCK's Kasper Kusk and Ajax's Hakim Ziyech were team-mates at Twente (2014/15).

The Friends Arena in Stockholm will stage the final
The Friends Arena in Stockholm will stage the final©Getty Images

• FCK's Ludwig Augustinsson was born in Stockholm, the host city of this season's UEFA Europa League final. Along with team-mates Robin Olsen, Erik Johansson and Mikael Antonsson, he is one of 12 Swedish players in the round of 16.

• Ajax (1992) are one of four former UEFA Cup and UEFA Europa League winners in the round of 16 along with Borussia Mönchengladbach (1975 & 1979), Anderlecht (1983) and Schalke (1997).

• Ajax need two more goals to reach 600 in UEFA competition. With 598 in 367 games, they have averaged around 1.63 goals per game so far.

• København are among four domestic champions in the round of 16 along with APOEL, Beşiktaş and Olympiacos.

København coach Ståle Solbakken
København coach Ståle Solbakken©AFP/Getty Images

The coaches
• A Dutch title winner as a midfielder with Feyenoord, Peter Bosz returned from Israel to take charge of Ajax in May 2016. Bosz has managed Heracles and Vitesse in the Netherlands, also briefly coaching Maccabi Tel-Aviv.

• Now in his second spell as København coach, Ståle Solbakken has led the club to six Danish titles. A midfielder, he was capped 58 times by Norway and ended his career at FCK after being diagnosed with a heart problem. He has coached in Norway, Germany and England, as well as in Denmark.

Penalty shoot-outs
• Ajax's record in five UEFA penalty shoot-outs is W1 L4:
L 4-2 A v Steaua (2012/13 UEFA Europa League round of 32)
L 4-2 N v Juventus (1995/96 UEFA Champions League final)
W 4-3 N v Grêmio (1995 European/South American Cup)
L 4-2 A v Bohemians Praha (1984/85 UEFA Cup second round)
L 5-3 A v Levski (1975/76 UEFA Cup third round)

• København won their only previous UEFA penalty shoot-out:
W 3-2 H v Ferencváros (2003/04 UEFA Cup first round)