Jose Mourinho's first season at Manchester United didn't go according to plan. The Red Devils finished sixth in the Premier League, guaranteeing themselves at least a spot in the Europa League next season. But at Old Trafford, fans don't care about Europe's secondary continental tournament. Only the Champions League matters. There's still a path into the UCL for next season, but it requires beating Ajax Amsterdam in the Europa League Final on Wednesday night in Solna.
This Europa League duel will go down Wednesday, May 24, 2017, at 2:45 p.m. ET at Friends Stadium. The match will be televised live on FOX Sports 1.
Soccer Odds at BookMaker.eu
Ajax +235
Manchester United -114
Draw +240
Over/Under 2.5
Odds Analysis
Manchester United is the comfortable favorite to win the Europa League at -250, but we must remember that last season at this team, Liverpool was a large chalk against Sevilla and lost out on the UCL spot. Even though Ajax plays in an inferior league, that doesn't mean that it isn't every bit legitimately as good as Man U, and that might end up being the case on Wednesday night.
The oddsmakers have accounted for some of this for sure. The Red Devils are only -114 on the moneyline, essentially insinuating that they're just beyond 50/50 to win this match in normal time versus either losing in 90 minutes or playing into extra time.
The total is set at a relatively low 2.5 with -130 vig on the under, though that shouldn't be a surprise knowing that most cup finals are gritty affairs with a lot of nerves at the outset.
How They Got Here
Ajax had a shot to play into the Champions League this year and was beaten 5-2 on aggregate by Russian side, Rostov. The Dutch side moved into the group stage of the Europa League and took care of business in Group G, going 4-2-0 against Celta Vigo, Standard Liege and Panathinaikos. There were tight contests in each of the knockout rounds, beating Legia Warsaw 1-0, FC Copenhagen 3-2 and Schalke 04 4-3 in extra time before holding on tight against Olympique Lyon in the semifinals for a 5-4 triumph on aggregate.
Manchester United made its way into the Europa League by winning last year's FA Cup. The Red Devils were awfully disappointing in the group stage of this contest, going just 4-0-2 with losses on the road against both Fenerbache and Feyenoord. Still, they qualified as the Group A runners up and went on a tear from there. Saint-Etienne was never a hassle in the Round of 32, and Rostov went down without much of a fight as well. Anderlecht pushed Manchester United into extra time before dropping, and Celta Vigo nearly pulled off a stunner at Old Trafford in the semis.
Free Soccer Betting Pick
The big question we have for Ajax is whether it is going to be able to hold down the fort at the back. The team allowed Lyon to really run roughshod at times in the semifinals, most notably conceding two goals in a span of just seconds to Alexandre Lacazette just before the interval.
Manchester United's chances would be buoyed quite a bit if Zlatan Ibrahimovic was in the fold. The Swede though, won't have a chance to play in front of his hometown crowd after being injured earlier in this tournament and subsequently missing the end of the season.
Are the Red Devil youngsters up front really ready for this challenge? We're not sure. Marcus Rashford has been excellent in this tournament, but he tapered off a bit down the stretch of the EPL season. If he isn't ready to take this challenge, we can't help but question if Ajax will steal the Champions League bid right out from under Man U.
Europa League Odds: Ajax 2, Manchester United 0
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