United made it through to the showpiece event in Sweden by beating Saint-Etienne (4-0 on aggregate), Rostov (2-1), Anderlecht (3-2) and Celta Vigo (2-1) in the knockout rounds, having previously finished second in a group featuring Fenerbahce, Feyenoord and Zorya Luhansk. Manager Jose Mourinho has long since made it clear that the Europa League is his priority, partly because it represents a chance to add another piece of silverware to the club's trophy cabinet and partly because it guarantees qualification for the group stage of next year's Champions League. Having missed out on the top four by finishing sixth in the Premier League, this tournament is the last remaining chance for the Red Devils to book a spot in Europe's principal continental club competition for 2017/18.
Ajax, meanwhile, progressed to the final by getting the better of Legia Warsaw (1-0 on aggregate), Copenhagen (3-2), Schalke (4-3 after extra time) and Lyon (5-4), while they finished top of a group containing Celta Vigo, Standard Liege and Panathinaikos in the first half of the season. Peter Bosz's young side were unable to win the Eredivisie title this term – they finished as runners-up, a point behind champions Feyenoord – yet they have captured the imagination of football fans across the continent with their thrilling performances in European competition. United should be wary of writing them off ahead of Wednesday's showdown in Stockholm.
United will have to make do without Ashley Young (hamstring), Luke Shaw (foot), Tim Fosu-Mensah (shoulder), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (knee), Chris Smalling (toe) and Marcos Rojo (knee), while Eric Bailly is suspended and Marouane Fellaini is carrying a slight hamstring injury but should be available for selection. Mourinho heavily rotated his team for the 2-0 win against Crystal Palace on Sunday but will name his strongest possible XI again here, although that will include Sergio Romero in goal in place of David de Gea – the Argentina international has been United's first-choice shot-stopper in the Europa League this campaign.
Ajax will be unable to call upon the services of left-back Daley Sinkgraven (knee) and fellow defender Nick Viergever, who is banned after picking up a red card against Lyon. Bosz tends to line his team up in a 4-3-3 formation, with an emphasis on possession play and heavy pressing when the ball is lost; they may have to adapt their approach here given that they will be facing a set of top-class players, but Ajax will look to stick to their principles as much as possible.
Taking everything into account, it is probably worth backing United to win the Europa League – although this final is likely to be much closer than many are expecting. It may even take extra time for the Red Devils to emerge victorious, but the best bet is probably a United triumph with both teams to score.
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