Ajax vs Manchester United, Europa League 2016/17: Where to watch live, preview, betting odds and possible XI
Ajax face Manchester United in the Europa League final on Wednesday.
Ajax take on Manchester United in the Europa League final at Friends Arena on 24 May, Wednesday.
Where to watch live
Kick-off is at 7:45pm BST. Live coverage is on BT Sport 2. Radio commentary of the game will be available on BBC Radio 5 Live.
Overview
Ajax suffered a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Lyon in the second leg of the Europa League semi-final clash. Despite the loss, they progresses to the final with an aggregate score of 5-4 as they had a 4-1 advantage from the first leg.
The Dutch club ended their league campaign with a 3-1 victory over Willem II and had more than a week to prepare for the final. They have scored 12 goals in the last four matches played in all competitions.
Peter Bosz will be hoping his side can manage to overcome the Red Devils' resilient defence in the final. Ajax will have an uphill task to overcome the Premier League outfit, but they have the players at their disposal to achieve the task
United enter this tie after registering a 2-0 victory over Crystal Palace in the last league tie of the season. Josh Harrop opened the scoring as he scored on his debut before Paul Pogba doubled the lead before the break.
The Red Devils made it to the final after managing a 2-1 aggregate victory over Celta Vigo in the semi-final. It was Marouane Fellaini's header in the second leg that proved to be the difference between the two sides in the end.
Jose Mourinho will be looking for nothing less than a win in the Europa League final. He will be hoping to keep a clean sheet and wish that his attackers can finish the game in 90 minutes to clinch the competition on Wednesday.
What managers say
Peter Bosz: "We're actually going to play our 56th game next Wednesday. If you look at our age, the players we have, we're a really young team, so it's also a lot of games. Both teams are big clubs in Europe with a big history. And it's true that they have more experience and more money. They have a bigger budget, that's for sure. It's possible that they feel more pressure because of the bigger budget. But I also believe we have fantastic players. With attacking football. It's possible. Bayern Munich and Barcelona show that's possible. That's what we will try to do in the final," Bsoz told the Telegraph.
Jose Mourinho: "They are a Champions League team, they come from the Champions League. I always disagree with it. I think a team shouldn't play two European competitions in the same season, they should go home. They shouldn't have the opportunity to play the Europa League. The Europa League is for teams who go into the Europa League like us. We finished fifth last season, and we went to the Europa League. We start the Europa League from the beginning of the season and we have to fight to where we are," Moruinho was reported as saying by the Daily Mail.
Betting Odds (betfair)
- Ajax: 15/4
- Draw: 13/5
- Manchester United: 10/11
Team News
Ajax
Possible XI: Onana; Tete, De Ligt, Sanchez, Veltman; Klaassen, Schone, Ziyech; Traore, Dolberg, Younes.
Manchester United
Possible XI: Romero; Valencia, Blind, Jones, Darmian; Herrera, Fellaini, Pogba; Lingard, Rashford, Mkhitaryan.
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