Frank De Boer rallies his Ajax troops

Ajax boss Frank de Boer insists there will be no fear in his ranks when they take on Barcelona in the Champions League on Wednesday night.

The two sides are set to square off at the Amsterdam Arena with the Netherlands club sitting third in the Group F standings with two points from their first three games.

Barca are in the unusual position of second place at present after defeat to Paris Saint-Germain who top the group with seven points and face Apoel Nicosia on Wednesday.

But the Catalans took care of Ajax 3-1 when the two clubs met at the Nou Camp on October 21 and are strong 1.32 favourites to repeat the dose this time around, with the Dutch outfit at 8.78 to win.

Defeat to Luis Enrique’s men coupled with a PSG success against the Cypriots would see Ajax out of the running to make the last 16 and in a battle for the Europa League spot on offer.

But the coach, who spent four seasons with Barca as a player in his stellar career, has urged his charges to go into the match with a positive mindset and show no fear of the opposition’s attacking threat.

“What we need to do is to play football and keep the ball,” he told reporters ahead of the match. “We must also remain focused, which we failed to do at the Camp Nou.

“You have to respect your opponent but shouldn’t fear them, and when we play to the best of our ability we have a chance. My players won’t be scared about facing their front three.”