Europa League Final Betting 2017 Winner Odds & Predictions

United's Europa gamble to pay off

Romero (Manchester United)
Romero (Manchester United) © GEPA pictures

Wednesday night in Stockholm will see Manchester United and Ajax come together in the final of the UEFA Europa League. This may be a tight contest between the two European giants and the head to head between them stands even at two wins apiece as well. For Manchester United, they go into this not only looking for their first Europa League/UEFA Cup title in their history but also hinging on this one is a place in next season’s UEFA Champions League. Will they have a big night out in Sweden or will the Sons of God spoil the end of their season?

William Hill’s Super Sub offer is a great way to cover your anytime goalscorer wager on a match. This offer only applies to selected live matches and if the player you have backed in the anytime goalscorer market is substituted and has not scored, then the bet rolls over onto the player who has come on to replace him. If that replacement player scores in the match then you will get paid out at the original price on your initial selection! This is a tremendous promotion from the bookmaker and when you open an account with William Hill you can earn a £20 free bet as a welcome bonus from the bookmaker!

Ajax v Manchester United Betting Odds (90 mins)

Manchester United 3/4, Draw 13/5, Ajax 15/4

Ajax v Manchester United Betting Odds To Lift Trophy

Manchester United 1/2, Ajax 13/8

Ajax v Manchester United 2017 Infographic

Manchester United can join an exclusive club which contains just Ajax, Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Juventus as clubs who have won all of UEFA’s major trophies. So that is a nice piece of history potentially ahead for them. A victory on Wednesday night in Stockholm also gives Manchester United the prize they so badly want for next season, that being UEFA Champions League football. They gave up a Premier League campaign in shooting for a top four finish to put all of their eggs in this UEFA Europa League basket. A risky move from Jose Mourinho, so will it all pay off for them on Wednesday night?

It’s a tricky game for them because Ajax are a powerful, young and enterprising side as they showed in their semi-final victory over the free-scoring Lyon. That was a big test for the Dutch side and they came through it. Ajax have scored one goal more than United have done in reaching the UEFA Europa League Final this season, but at the back, United are on top having conceded seven goals fewer than Ajax have done to get to this stage. It’s arguable though that United have faced far fewer attacking threats along the way than Ajax have. The game to go under 2.5 goals is trading at a price of 4/6 with William Hill.

Incidentally, this game is happening 22 years to the day since Ajax claimed their last major European trophy, overcoming AC Milan 1-0 in the 1995 UEFA Champions League final. Is that an omen for the Dutch club going into this one? This is the first UEFA final for Ajax since a penalty shoot out loss to Juventus in the 19896 Champions League Final. The last Dutch side to win the UEFA Europa League was Feyenoord back in the 2001/2002 season. Should they win, Ajax will complete a unique set of trophy successes, as the only side to have lifted the major UEFA competitions in both of their forms.

Kasper Dolberg and Davy Klaassen who are 9/4 and 3/1 respectively in the anytime goalscorer market will test the United defence. This is the fifth meeting between Ajax and United and the past four have produced two wins each. Both teams to score at William Hill is a quote of 3/4 as Ajax go looking for their first silverware for 22 years. They have gone W8 D3 L3 in the Europa League this season, winning all of their home games along the way, but failing to win any of their last six away from Amsterdam, actually losing their last three on the road. Under 2.5 goals at William Hill is a price of 4/6 and that has happened in three of the previous four meetings between the two clubs.

So will Manchester United be able to land a spot in the Champions League next season, which is arguably a bigger prize than winning the Europa League trophy? They decided to sacrifice competing for a top-four spot in the Premier League this season for this. United have had cup success this season, winning the EFL Cup and taking the Community Shield as well at the start of the season. If they lose on Wednesday, they will be back in the Europa League next term. Manchester United are unbeaten in ten European matches (W7 D3) since a 2-1 loss at Fenerbahçe in this season’s UEFA Europa League group stage. But they were made to work in their knockout stages by Rostov, Anderlecht and Celta Vigo and the final itself could be tight.

Manchester United have gotten to the final with a W8 D4 L2 record in this season’s Europa League and have gone W3 D2 L2 on the road which isn’t terrific. But they are the more experienced of the two sides and while they will be missing the scoring threat that Zlatan Ibrahimovic poses, who made his professional breakthrough at Ajax, Marcus Rashford and Wayne Rooney are 8/5 joint favourites in the William Hill anytime goalscorer market. Manchester United have lost their last three UEFA Finals and they have actually not won an international club final in 90 minutes since a 1-0 win over Palmeiras in European/South American Cup in November 1999, as if anyone remembers or cares.

The last time that Ajax and Manchester United faced up against one another was in the 2012 Europa League, with the two clubs trading away wins on that occasion. From their four previous meetings, the head to head stands at two wins each. Ajax have scored one more Europa League goal than United have done this season, but have conceded a whopping 15 to United’s eight along the way. The Dutch club have had more attempts on goal than any other side in this seasons’ competition though and will carry that attacking threat. Spanish clubs (Atletico Madrid and Sevilla between them) have won five of the last seven editions of the UEFA Europa League, and the last English side to do so being Chelsea in 2013.

Prediction: This should be a pretty tight battle and extra time wouldn’t be a surprise in it. Ajax have the enterprise getting forward, but Mourinho is a specialist at shutting threats like that down and just picking off opponents. United’s extra quality at the back may just be the telling factor and the Red Devils can edge it by a one-goal margin.