Ajax finished on top of the Europa League group with Celta de Vigo, Standard Liege and Panathinaikos and beat Legia Warszawa, FC Kopenhagen, Schalke 04 and Olympique Lyonnais in the following rounds to grab a final berth. Especially the home matches against Schalke (2-0) and Lyon (4-1) were highlights in the European season, when Ajax outclassed their opponents with high tempo, high pressure play, like it did in the seventies.

Van de Beek got a chance in the starting line-up as central midfielder at home against Schalke as replacement for Lasse Schone. He impressed with his vision and dynamics and hopes for a final spot as well. In both the home match against Schalke and in the away match in Lyon as substitute he hit the cross-bar. "I hope it goes in in the final," Van de Beek said.

The returns of the matches against Schalke and Lyon also saw the vulnerability of the 'Bosz Babes', with Ajax losing 3-2 after extra time in Germany and losing 3-1 in France.

Not surprisingly Ajax have fielded nine of the ten youngest starting line-ups this Europa League season with the exception of the youngest: Racing Genk (21 years, 365 days) in their 2-0 win at Sassuolo on December 9.

De Ligt might get a starting spot in the final, also because Nick Viergever is suspended. He will be 17 years and 285 days old on the day of the final and can become the youngest player ever to feature in a final of a European Cup competition (excluding European Super Cup), surpassing Fiorentina's Alberto Malusci (17 years, 313 days) who played two minutes in the first leg of the 1989-1990 final.

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