With their Champions League hopes hinging on the final game of their season, Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United will look to secure a berth among Europe’s elite by winning their first Europa League trophy on Wednesday.
Uefa confirmed that the match against Ajax will go ahead with 'tight' security measures in Sweden after 22 people were killed by a suicide bomb attack at an Ariana Grande concert at the Manchester Arena on Monday night.
United will face Ajax for the fifth time in European competition, and have a tough challenge ahead. Even though the Red Devils are favourites to win the competition, the Dutch giants' squad includes some of the leading young talents on the continent.
Ajax will boast a rested squad, not having played a match since the end of the Eredivisie on 14 May where they beat Willem ll 3-1.
United, who have suffered with injuries and suspensions this season, will be hoping to carry the momentum from their 2-0 victory against Crystal Palace on the last day of the Premier League season to the Final on Wednesday.
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Having rested the likes of Daley Blind, Marcus Rashford and their player of the season Ander Herreraagainst Palace, United will be hoping to field and experienced starting line-up against Ajax.
The notable absentees will include defenders Marcos Rojo and Eric Bailly. Rojo suffered a knee injury against Andrelecht in the quarter-final stage of the competition while Bailly was sent off during the second leg of the semi-final against Celta Vigo.
United forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic will be the biggest absentee of the tie after suffering a cruciate ligament injury, and will not be playing the final in his home country.
Ajax are expected to field one of the youngest sides in the history of European finals - the average age of their squad is just over 22 years old. The Dutch giants have been in good form of late and have not suffered any major injuries that may hamper their plans for the Final on May 24.
Justin Kluivert and Chelsea loanee Bertrand Traore are expected to start on the wings in the final. They will be hoping to provide 19-year-old Kasper Dolberg, who has scored 23 goals this season - six of them in the Europa League - with deliveries to test United.
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS
Ajax XI: Onana, Veltman, Sanchez, De Ligt, Riedewald, Van De Beek, Schone, Klaassen, Kluivert, Traore, Dolberg
Manchester United XI: Romero, Valencia, Jones, Blind, Darmian, Pogba, Carrick, Herrera, Lingard, Rashford, Mkhitaryan
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