Barcelona's 20-
match unbeaten
record this season
will be tested at
Ajax in Group H of
the Champions
League on Tuesday.
The Blaugrana has
not lost a
competitive match
since manager Gerardo Martino took over,
and with three wins and one draw in their
four group matches, the Spanish champions
only need to draw in Amsterdam to secure
first place and a berth in the last 16.
Barca strolled to a 4-0 win over Liga rivals
Granada on Saturday, with first-half penalties
from Andres Iniesta and Cesc Fabregas
setting it on its way. Alexis Sanchez and
Pedro wrapped up the points with strikes
after the break as Barca remained top of the
table.
It will be a slightly weakened side that makes
the trip to the Dutch capital, though, with
Lionel Messi (thigh) and goalkeeper Victor
Valdes (calf) ruled out for the rest of the
group stage.
Dani Alves sustained a calf injury on
international duty and missed the win over
Granada, left back Jordi Alba (hamstring)
has not played since September and
midfielder Jonathan dos Santos (knee) could
be out until April.
In addition, Isaac Cuenca has not played this
season following knee surgery, Ibrahim
Afellay is yet to return from a thigh operation
and, just to compound Barca's woes, Alexis is
suspended.
The Chilean, who has scored 11 goals in his
last 12 matches for club and country, picked
up three bookings in the group stages.
This fixture will be Barcelona's 250th in the
history of the Champions League, while a
draw would be their 100th in UEFA
competition.
Barcelona, which has a pass completion rate
of 87 percent - the best in the competition,
won the reverse fixture 4-0 at Camp Nou in
September, with Messi scoring a hat-trick.
That defeat was Ajax's joint-heaviest in the
Champions League but its spirits were
boosted by a 1-0 home win over Celtic earlier
this month that keeps its hopes of reaching
the round of 16 alive.
Ajax has four points from as many matches
and could go second if results go its way, but
it could also be eliminated if it loses and
Milan wins at Celtic.
The Eredivisie champions, who have lost their
last nine matches against Spanish
opposition, climbed to second thanks to a
3-0 home win over Heracles on Saturday.
Niklas Moisander returned from a knee injury
in that match, but Kolbeinn Sigthorsson
(ankle) and Siem de Jong (hamstring) missed
out after picking up injuries on international
duty.
Striker Bojan Krkic, who is on loan at Ajax
from Barcelona, has not played since tearing
his hamstring in September.
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