- 79'
The Ajax crowd attempt to rouse their players.
- 78'
<img src="http://soccernet-assets.espn.go.com/design05/gp10/i/subs.gif"> Ajax make their final change. Ozbiliz goes off and on comes young striker Lukoki.
- 77'
United seem in control and will be keen to keep this clean sheet.
- 76'
Valencia sets up Hernandez with his first touch. The Mexican striker is tracked by Alderweireld and his shot is blocked.
- 75'
Valencia goes over to the right. He and Jones should be a real threat down that flank.
- 74'
<img src="http://soccernet-assets.espn.go.com/design05/gp10/i/subs.gif"> Ashley Young goes off and is replaced by Valencia.
- 73'
Valencia is warming up on the touchline.
- 72'
Eriksen on the break for Ajax. He races towards the United goal and shoots form distance as three defenders converge on him. De Gea makes a relatively simple save.
- 71'
Young is clattered by Vertonghen. The foul is given but the Ajax defender is furious as he thinks the United player took a dive.
- 70'
Ajax have come more into the game since going one goal down, but they have had no real threat yet.
- 69'
Eriksen chips the freekick into the box but United's defence stands firm.
- 68'
Sulejmani is fouled by Jones and Ajax have a freekick in a dangerous area. Maybe slightly to far out to shoot.
- 67'
<b>Stat</b> Ashley Young has not ended on the losing side in any of the last 20 competitive games that he has scored in.
- 66'
Eriksen takes a shot from the edge of the box. His effort is deflected but De Gea prevents the corner.
- 65'
Evans chips a pass over the Ajax defence but it is too long for Nani.
- 64'
Fabio nips in to break up an Ajax attack and continues his run forward, but Young fails to pass to the marauding fullback.
- 63'
Nani fires a shot just over the bar and United could have been 2-0 up.
- 62'
<img src="http://soccernet-assets.espn.go.com/design05/gp10/i/subs.gif"> Jones is giving Koppers some trouble down the right so Ajax make a change and on comes Boilesen.
- 61'
<img src="http://soccernet-assets.espn.go.com/design05/gp10/i/subs.gif"> Ajax follow suit. Off goes Bulykin and on comes Rhijn.
- 60'
<img src="http://soccernet-assets.espn.go.com/design05/gp10/i/subs.gif"> United a goal up and they make a change too. Cleverley is replaced by Scholes.
- 59'
<img src="http://soccernet-assets.espn.go.com/design05/gp10/i/goal.gif"> <b>GOAL</b> Ashley Young keeps calm to slot home. A stray cross from Nani reaches the winger, who steps inside and finishes through a crowd of players.
- 58'
Young waits for Fabio to arrive on the overlap and the fullback then wins a corner.
- 57'
There is a lot of huff and puff around the Ajax box but little incisiveness from United.
- 56'
Nani wins a corner off the Ajax leftback Koppers.
- 55'
... Young whips it in. The ball is half-cleared and United have a corner. It comes to nothing.
- 54'
Aissati fouls Carrick and United have a freekick in a dangerous position on the left of the Ajax area...
- 53'
<img src="http://soccernet-assets.espn.go.com/design05/gp10/i/yellow_card.jpg" height="15"> Young races onto a stray pass and is hacked down by De Jong.
- 52'
<img src="http://soccernet-assets.espn.go.com/design05/gp10/i/yellow_card.jpg" height="15"> Fabio takes out De Jong.
- 51'
Hernandez turns on the edge of the box. He is hussled by Anita and that allows Vermeer to rush off his line and take the ball off at the striker's feet.
- 50'
Anita has sapce to cross from the right. His delivery goes straight out for a United goalkick.
- 49'
Bulykin beats Ferdinand and sets himself to shoot from an angle...oh dear that was an awful effort.
- 48'
Jones sets himself for a volley at goal as a cross comes in. Vertonghen gets a toe to the ball and Jones is left swinging at fresh air.
- 47'
But it's United on the attack. Good work from Hernandez sets up Nani for a shot on the right of the box. Vermeer saves at his near post with a smart save.
- 46'
"Don't Worry about a thing" rings out from the Aajax fans.
- 46'
Ajax get the second-half underway, kicking from left to right.
<b>HT</b> The players are back out, including Ferdinand, who limped away from that not-a-penalty tackle in the first-half.
<b>HT</b> It seems a long way off at the moment, but United can become fifth club to win each of the three European Cups at least once, joining Juve, Barca, Bayern Munich and ......... Ajax.
<b>HT</b> United could do with Peter Schmeichel back, he was the last player to score for them in the UEFA Cup/Europa League - in 1995.
<b>HT</b> Well a fairly even first-half, with Ajax probably edging it on chances. But nothing outstanding from either side really.
- 45'
Some debate here over if it was a penalty or not. But it wasn't given and the whistle blows for half-time.
- 45'
...the ref waves play on. Ferdinand might have got lucky there. It looked like a penalty to me on first sight.
- 44'
Ferdinand stretches to make a tackle on Sulejmani in the penalty area... the fans want a spotkick.
- 43'
Hernandez fouls Aissati but Ajax shun the chance to put the ball in the box and play it short.
- 42'
United have reasserted themselves in terms of possession now.
- 41'
Fabio clips the ball into the box for Nani, whose glancing header goes wide of the far post.
- 40'
Rooney has dropped very deep to get involved in United's build-up play. A couple of crosses are slung into the Ajax box but come to nothing.
- 39'
Cleverley is going the wrong way, but at least he keeps the ball for United.
- 38'
Hernandez attenpts to take on Vertonghen but the classy centreback is not going to be beaten.
- 37'
Anita nips in to win the ball and sets up Eriksen, who shoots from 30-yards... but straight at De Gea.
- 36'
Ajax back in control.
- 35'
Cleverley lines up a long-range shot but his effort just keeps on rising and ends up somewhere in the crowd.
- 33'
Backs to the wall for United. Their box is being peppered with crosses and the pressure only relents when De Jong heads over the bar.
- 32'
Eriksen wins a corner as Ajax turn up the pressure on United.
- 31'
De Jong takes shot from distance. De Gea scampers across his goal and palms the effort wide. Good shot and good save.
- 30'
Hernandez is called offside again. He'll get it right soon and Ajax will be in trouble.
- 29'
Jones makes a strong run forward from rightback. He looks a like a threat for United tonight.
- 28'
Nani is in space in the right of the box. He can cross or shoot but decides to lash the ball into the crowd instead... I think it was supposed to be a shot.
- 27'
United head down the other end. Rooney has a snatched shot but his effort doesn't trouble Ajax goalkeeper Vermeer.
- 26'
Sulejmani finds space on the left. He looks up and tries to pick out Ozbiliz in the box but Evens manages to get a flick on the ball.
- 25'
There's no real urgency by either side at the moment.
- 24'
Rooney and Hernandez combine but everything is played just on the stretch and the Ajax defence mop up.
- 23'
Now it's Ajax's turn to play keep ball.
- 22'
Rooney flicks a pass through the Ajax defence with his right foot. Hernandez gives chase but is beaten to the ball by an inch by keeper Vermeer.
- 21'
United keep possession.
- 20'
I've now cursed Young, who knocks the ball needlessly out of play whilst trying to take on two players.
- 19'
Rooney sees the keeper off his line and attempts a lob. Vermeer sees it coming and plucks the ball out of the air.
- 18'
Young is on fire tonight. He chips a pass over the Ajax defence but this time Hernandez is caught offside.
- 17'
Koppers tackles Nani and drives forward to the edge of the United box. He scuffs his shot and De Gea easily collects the ball.
- 16'
Young slides a great pass through the Ajax defence for Hernandez, whose control lets him down and the chance goes begging.
- 15'
Young is limping for United. He looks eager to carry on playing though.
- 14'
Rooney breaks down the right. He has two players waiting in the box but fails to pick out either of them with his cross.
- 13'
Ajax win their first corner... but it's a poor delivery and United clear.
- 12'
Nani faces up to Koppers but the Ajax left-back makes a good tackle on the edge of the box.
- 11'
Vertonghen starts another attack from the back but it comes to nothing.
- 10'
Young plays a brilliant long pass to Hernandez, but the Mexican can't control the ball in the box and it runs out for a goalkick.
- 9'
Nani falls over on the edge of the box but it was a pitiful effort to try and win a freekick. Nothing given by the ref.
- 8'
Evans seems to have been inspired by Vertonghen and brings the ball out from the back. He slips a pass to Young, who wins a corner.
- 7'
United decide it's time to keep the ball for a spell and pass it around the back four.
- 6'
Nani takes it himself and puts the ball straight out for a goalkick. Rubbish.
- 6'
Rooney and Nani combine in a quick attack. The latter wins a corner.
- 5'
Ajax enjoying a lot of time on the ball early on.
- 4'
Phil Jones is well advanced from right-back. Nani loses possession and now the defender is out of position. United win the ball back.
- 3'
Centre-back Vertonghen is seeing a lot of the ball early on. He is brining the ball out from the back and pinging passes around.
- 2'
Eriksen slings a cross into the box but De Gea collects the ball. An easy first touch for the keeper.
- 1'
Man United get the game underway, wearing their blue and black Euroepan kit, kicking from left to right. Ajax are in their famous red and white kit.
We are just about ready to go....
Ajax have struggled this season and currently lie sixth in the Eredivisie. They will have to be on top form tonight to resist United.
The atmoshpere is really building at the Amsterdam Arena.
United don't have a domestic game this weekend, hence the strong starting line-up. So they will be hoping to get off to a great start in this first leg.
And there is more good news for United fans as Wayne Rooney, who starts tonight, has scored ten goals in his last ten games. One-way traffic tonight?
Excluding the qualifiers, Ajax have failed to score in six of their last eight matches in European competition.
This will be United's first ever game in the Europa League but manager Sir Alex Ferguson is expecting to win the whole competition: <a href="http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story/_/id/1022614/sir-alex-ferguson-expects-europa-league-glory-for-man-united?cc=5739" target="_blank">Full story</a>
For Ajax, all eyes will be on midfield starlet Christian Eriksen, who has long been linked with a move to Old Trafford, and top-scorer Miralem Sulejmani.
Skipper Patrice Evra has been left back in Manchester and that's probably a good decision given that the Ajax fans adored Luis Suarez.
Tom Cleverley finally returns from ankle-knack for Manchester United, meaning 67-year-old Paul Scholes can have a rest on the subs' bench.
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