London — Juan Mata believes it is imperative Manchester United win their final two Premier League games to make sure they are in peak condition for their Europa League final against Ajax. United’s 2-1 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday means that they can no longer finish in the top four and leaves the Europa League final in Stockholm on May 24 as their last chance of securing Champions League qualification. United visit Southampton on Wednesday before entertaining Crystal Palace on the season’s final day. While there is nothing riding on the games, Mata says he and his teammates cannot afford to take them lightly. "Now it’s time to play two good games to close the Premier League and reach the Europa League final in the best shape that we can," the Spanish midfielder wrote on his blog, published on the United website. "It’s true that the calendar has been hectic over the last two months, but we have to push hard now to try to win the three remaining games. We really want to." Uni...
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