Ajax target win as leaders Madrid come to town

AFC Ajax will hope to avenge their September defeat by Real Madrid CF and boost their hopes of progressing from Group G when the teams meet again on Matchday 5.

• Section leaders Madrid secured their place in the competition's latter stages for the 14th year running when drawing at AC Milan on 3 November and another point will sew up top spot, while Ajax are looking to make up for their Matchday 4 defeat at AJ Auxerre.

• Despite that loss, Ajax remain just a point short of second-placed Milan and will overtake them if they beat Madrid and the Rossoneri fail to win at Auxerre.

Previous meetings
• Although Madrid prevailed 2-0 on Matchday 1, Ajax have recorded four wins and two losses in seven encounters between the pair.

• The most recent meeting in Amsterdam was on 13 September 1995 when Ajax earned a 1-0 win in the UEFA Champions League group stage. Marc Overmars (14) scored for the Dutch club, who were then defending champions and subsequently won the return fixture 2-0 in Madrid.

• The teams first met in the 1967/68 European Champion Clubs' Cup first round. Johan Cruyff scored the opening goal of the first leg in Amsterdam but Madrid recovered to draw 1-1 through Pirri, and the Spanish side then earned a 2-1 success after extra time in the return.

• Ajax got revenge when the pair came together again in the 1972/73 European Cup semi-final, winning 2-1 at home – Pirri scored again for Madrid – before a 1-0 triumph at the Bernabéu.

Match background
• Ajax, who previously reached the last 16 in 2005/06, can take heart from an unbeaten home record in Europe this term which comprises two wins and two draws, qualifying included.

• The Amsterdam club lost their most recent home meeting with Spanish opposition, succumbing 2-0 to RCD Espanyol in the UEFA Cup group stage in November 2006.

• There are no survivors in Martin Jol's squad of Ajax's last victory against Spanish visitors – a 1-0 home win against RC Celta de Vigo in the 2003/04 UEFA Champions League group stage. Ajax's overall home record against Spanish teams reads W8 D3 L2.

• Prior to this season Madrid had not faced Dutch opposition in the UEFA Champions League since playing Ajax in 1995/96. Their away record against sides from the Netherlands is W2 D4 L4.

• Madrid have lost one of six UEFA Champions League away games over the past two seasons, winning three.

Team ties
• José Mourinho faced Jol in seven London derbies during their respective reigns at Chelsea FC and Tottenham Hotspur FC from 2004 to 2007. Mourinho recorded five wins to Jol's one.

• Jol tasted defeat with Tottenham against Sevilla FC in the 2006/07 UEFA Cup quarter-final, losing the first leg 2-1 in Andalusia en route to a 4-3 aggregate reverse.

• Mesut Özil was in the SV Werder Bremen team that defeated Jol's Hamburger SV in the 2008/09 UEFA Cup semi-final.

• Oleguer played for FC Barcelona between 2002 and 2008. He was sent off in a 3-3 draw with Madrid in March 2007.

• Jan Vertonghen was in the Belgium side beaten 1-0 at home by a Germany team featuring Özil and Sami Khedira in the countries' opening UEFA EURO 2012 qualifier in September.

• Christian Eriksen appeared as a substitute for Denmark in their 3-1 UEFA EURO 2012 qualifying loss to the Portugal of Ricardo Carvalho, Pepe and Cristiano Ronaldo last month. Ronaldo scored Portugal's third goal.

• Madrid's Iker Casillas, Xabi Alonso and Sergio Ramos were in the Spain side that won the FIFA World Cup final on 11 July against a Netherlands team that included Ajax's Maarten Stekelenburg and Gregory van der Wiel. Stekelenburg, Van der Wiel and André Ooijer had earlier helped the Dutch past Kaká's Brazil in the quarter-finals.

• Jerzy Dudek played for Feyenoord between 1996 and 2001. Mahamadou Diarra had a spell with BV Vitesse from 1999 to 2002.

• Mido scored four goals in eight Liga appearances on loan at Celta from Ajax in 2002/03.