Ajax VS Manchester United Match Prediction

These sides have met twice before in Europa League competition before.  That came back in 2011/12 in the Europa League second round.  United would go on to win the tie 3-2 after each side got a win apiece:

Feb 23, 2012: Manchester United 1-2 Ajax
Feb 16, 2012: Ajax 0-2 Manchester United

Furthermore, Manchester United's all-time record against Dutch sides in Europe in 14 matches is eight wins, two draws, and four losses.  They had group stages affairs with Feyenoord.  They lost the away match and won the home match.

Ajax's record against English teams in 23 matches has seen them win eight times, draw seven times, and lose eight other times.  They've not had any matches with English sides this season, but they did play a common foe that United had in the semi-final in Celta Vigo.  Ajax drew the away leg before winning the home leg, which is the opposite of what United did.  

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Ajax vs Man Utd Final Prediction

It's going to be a tight and tense affair between the pragmatism and experience of United and the youthful exuberance of Ajax.  Look back at the EFL Cup final, and that is the sort of game we should expect to see.  

Correct Score Prediction: Ajax 2-3 Manchester United

Ajax vs Man Utd Final Betting Tips and Odds

Bet365 have the following odds available for this match:

Ajax are at 7/2 to win, a draw is at 5/2, and a Manchester United win is at 5/6 for normal time.

Both teams to score is set at 1/1 for yes and ¾ for no.

A 1-0 win for Ajax at full time is at 18/1 odds.

To win the competition, Ajax are at 13/8 odds and Manchester United are at ½.

An Ajax win in extra time could bring you 18/1 odds, while the same for United is at 9/1.

Both sides are at 14/1 to win on penalties.

Reason:

Manchester United have been installed as favorites as they have a little bigger (perceived) pedigree over Ajax.  The Dutch side are a good side, but they are young and have also lost the most previous tie against their opposition here.  

Team News

Peter Bosz will be without left back Daley Sinkgraven due to injury. They will also be missing center back Nick Viergever, who has to serve a suspension here.

Key Man

There is a lot of good, young talent in this Ajax squad, and their success will come from those players.  One of those men that have turned heads this season that fit that mold is striker Kasper Dolberg.  The Danish international is just 19 years old, but has already started to be linked with some of Europe's top clubs due to just how well he has been doing.  He scored 16 goals in his first season with the first team to lead his side in the Eredivisie. He added six more in the Europa League, including a goal in each leg of the semi-final tie with Lyon.  Those proved crucial to them, and he'll have the chance to once again show his sharpness in front of goal against United on a huge stage come Wednesday night.

Team Form

Ajax have three wins and two losses in their last five matches in all competitions.  They lost 1-0 away to PSV before winning 4-1 at home to Lyon in the Europa League semi-final first leg.  They came back to Eredivisie play and won 4-0 at home against Go Ahead Eagles before they lost the second leg in Lyon 3-1.  They still progressed, however, to this point.  On Sunday the 14th, they faced Willem II away from home and won 1-3, but they fell just short of Feyenoord in the Eredivisie table as the season came to an end.  

Expected Line-up: 4-3-3

Team News

Jose Mourinho will be missing star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic due to injury.  Center back Marcos Rojo will also miss out.  Fellow center back Eric Bailly will miss out with a suspension.  Ashley Young is an injury question mark, and we know that Luke Shaw has injury concerns frequently and that Mourinho isn't a fan, so he's also a big question mark.  

Key Man

United have their own 19 year old youngster to watch in this final, and its Englishman Marcus Rashford. Since Zlatan went down to injury against Anderlecht, United have turned to the young striker and have seen him deliver in big ways.  He scored the winner against Anderlecht in extra time, and he also scored the winner in the first leg against Celta Vigo before providing an assist in the second leg to help them go through.  He's been immense since Zlatan's injury, but they will need him to once again be at his very best in this match if they are to take home the trophy and all the goods that come with it.  

Team Form

Manchester United have a win, two draws, and two wins in their last five matches in all competitions.  A 2-0 loss at Arsenal saw their focus totally change to this competition, and they followed that with a 1-1 draw at home to Celta Vigo to see them progress to this final.  They then lost 2-1 away to Spurs before drawing 0-0 at Southampton.  On Sunday, in the final Premier League match of the season, they heavily rotated their squad at home to Crystal Palace, and they won 2-0.  

Expected Line-up: 4-2-3-1

This is just about a dream final in terms of the Europa League. After last season\'s Liverpool vs Sevilla match, this one had some living up to. But it\'s right up there with last year\'s version as you have two massive sides that each have big histories in the game. United are a very strong side that have fallen on harder times of late. This has seen them drop out of the Champions League regularly, and they are now having to focus completely on this if they are progress back toward their goals of being among Europe\'s elite clubs once again. Ajax are in the UCL qualifiers, but they lost out last year in and were demoted to the Europa League. They could prevent that by winning this match and clinching a group stage berth. Ajax are a very good side, but they are young and relatively inexperienced so that might just give the edge to United when the ball gets rolling.

Sixth- the place where United finished in the league. That finish means that they must win this match in order to qualify for the Champions League.