Ajax coach Frank de Boer has said his side must "respect, but not fear" Barcelona as they prepare to meet in the Champions League at the Amsterdam ArenA on Wednesday.
The Dutch side were beaten 3-1 at the Camp Nou last month, and De Boer said they could not afford a repeat of the slow start that saw them go a goal down after only seven minutes.
He told a news conference, reported by AS: "What we have to do is play and keep the ball.
"We have to be very focused at the start of the match, which we failed to do at Camp Nou. You always have to respect your opponents, but you shouldn't fear them.
"When we play to our ability, we will have chances. I want my team to play with lots of confidence and show our quality. We have to step up if we want to beat Barca."
De Boer warned his defenders that they faced a "very difficult" task to stop Lionel Messi and former Ajax star Luis Suarez, despite the pair failing to sparkle as both Barca's last two games ended in defeat.
He said: "Messi always looks to make his own space, and it is always very difficult to mark him.
"You always have to be very attentive to what he is up to. It's tricky, but as a team we can stop him."
And answering questions about Suarez, he added: "He may play his first European game for Barcelona in this stadium, the one that saw him become the player he is."