Ajax play host to Rapid Vienna at the Amsterdam ArenA in the third round of qualifying of the Champions League, with the contest delicately poised following last week's first leg.
Zoran Barisic's charges did enough to claim a 2-2 draw at the end of the opening 90 minutes, meaning that it is still all to play for on Tuesday evening.
Ajax
© Getty Images
Despite throwing away a two-goal half-time lead in the first leg, Ajax still remain favourites to book their place in the Champions League playoff stage.
Davy Klaassen struck twice in the Austrian capital to seemingly put the Dutch giants on their way to a comfortable win, before Florian Kainz and Robert Beric hit back in the second half.
This struggle of holding on when in a commanding position does offer some cause for concern ahead of the return tie, of course, but Frank de Boer will still remain confident of seeing his side secure their place in the group stage of the famous competition.
After all, Ajax have made it that far in each of the last five seasons, beating the likes of Barcelona and Manchester City once they have got there.
The Eredivisie club have looked somewhat shaky during pre-season, having won just one of their six friendly outings so far on the back of finishing 17 points off top-flight rivals PSV Eindhoven last time out.
Ajax get their league campaign underway next weekend with a trip to face AZ, but before then there is the small matter of overcoming Vienna, which will require concentration across the full 90 minutes.
Recent form (all competitions): DLWDLD
Rapid Vienna
© Getty ImagesWhile Ajax have plenty of pedigree in European competition, it is not quite the same story for Rapid Vienna. Two Cup Winners' Cup final appearances aside, they have struggled to make waves on the big stage.
The Green-Whites missed out on a 33rd Austrian Bundesliga crown last season, as they finished six points behind fellow big boys Red Bull Salzburg.
Rapid kicked off their domestic campaign a fortnight ago, meaning that they should realistically be in a better shape than their third-qualifying round opponents at this moment in time.
Including friendly results - which admittedly is not always the greatest barometer of determining a team's hopes of success - it has now been 19 games since the capital club last tasted defeat.
That run stretches back to mid-April when they fell to Wolfsberger in the Austrian Cup, yet it was not enough to steal back the top-flight title from their Westerly rivals.
Vienna have reached the Champions League proper just twice in the past decade, while they even missed out on qualification for the Europa League 12 months ago. The fighting spirit witnessed last week does provide some hope, but a big performance is now needed in Amsterdam.
Recent form (all competitions): DWWWDW
Team News
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Stefan Schwab's dismissal in the first leg sees him ruled out of this one, which could lead to Srdjan Grahovac coming into the first-team fold.
The youngster was brought off the bench in the 2-2 draw to help fill the void left by his teammate, but it may otherwise be as you were for the return contest.
In terms of the home side, Arsenal loanee Yaya Sanogo will be looking to make his first competitive start after playing the final few minutes at the Ernst-Happel Stadion.
Should that be the case, Arkadiusz Milik could be the man to make way up top for an Ajax side boasting two away goals from an eventful 90 minutes of their two-legged affair.
Ajax possible starting lineup:
Cillessen, Tete, Veltman, Riedewald, Dijks, Gudelj, Klaassen, Bazoer, El Ghazi, Sanogo, Sinkgraven
Rapid Vienna possible starting lineup:
Novota, Auer, M.Hofmann, Sonnleitner, Stangl, Petsos, Grahovac, Schobesberger, S.Hofmann, Kainz, Beric
Head To Head
Last Wednesday's clash was the first meeting between the two sides. Rapid have faced Dutch opposition on many occasions in the past, however, the last of which came against Feyenoord in the Cup Winners' Cup semi-final back in 1996.
The Green-Whites claimed a 4-1 aggregate victory to progress through, though overall their record is not the greatest, having won just three of their 10 fixtures against sides from the Netherlands.
Ajax have faced off against Austrian sides 11 times, meanwhile, winning four, losing four and drawing three of those fixtures over the past 26 years.
A resounding 6-1 victory over Red Bull Salzburg two seasons ago in the Europa League knockout rounds will certainly provide De Boer and Co. with additional hope heading into Tuesday's meeting.
We say: Ajax 2-0 Rapid Vienna
Vienna showed great spirit to keep this contest well alive in the first leg and, having kicked off their domestic season in good form, you certainly would not bet against them pulling off what would be a surprise victory. Ajax will prove to have too much on this occasion, however, as they claim a vital home win.
Daniel Lewis
