Freiburg vs Aston Villa Preview & Prediction | 2025-26 UEFA Europa League | Final
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The first UEFA competition final of the 2025/26 season comes at the Tupras Stadium in Istanbul in Turkiye in the UEFA Europa League as Freiburg take on Aston Villa.
Kick-off date/time:
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Key stats
Freiburg
- This is Freiburg’s first UEFA competition final appearance; they are the 11th German club to reach the UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League final which is a record, one more than England’s ten.
- Freiburg are the third different German team to reach the UEFA Europa League final in the last five seasons with Eintracht Frankfurt winning the title in 2021/22 and Leverkusen losing finalists in 2023/24.
- Freiburg’s only previous UEFA meetings with English opposition have all come against West Ham. They lost both games to the Hammers in the 2023/24 Europa League group stage and were then beaten 5-1 on aggregate by the same side in the round of 16 that season.
- The second leg victory in the semi-finals against Braga was remarkably Freiburg’s 11th successive home win in UEFA competition.
- Only two of Freiburg’s last 36 UEFA matches have finished without a goal being scored.
- Freiburg have lost only three of their 14 UEFA Europa League matches this season (W9 D2).
- Julian Schuster has taken Freiburg to the Europa League final in his first-ever UEFA campaign as a coach.
- Julian Schuster is aiming to be the first German coach to win the UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League since Franz Beckenbauer with Bayern in 1996.
Aston Villa
- Aston Villa have reached their second major UEFA final, their first since the 1981/82 European Cup, when they defeated Germany’s Bayern 1–0 in Rotterdam to win the title. They went on to lift the UEFA Super Cup the following season, beating Barcelona.
- This is Aston Villa’s first UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League final. They are the tenth different English club to reach the final.
- Aston Villa have won 12 of their 14 UEFA Europa League matches this season (L2) – three more victories than any other team (Freiburg – 9).
- Aston Villa are the top scorers in the UEFA Europa League this season with 28 goals – three more than second-placed Freiburg.
- The first‑leg defeat against Nottingham Forest ended a nine‑match winning streak for Aston Villa in the UEFA Europa League — the longest run in the club’s UEFA history and an English record in the Europa League proper, surpassing Chelsea’s previous best of eight between 2013 and 2018.
- The second leg victory in the semi-finals was Aston Villa’s tenth successive home win in UEFA competition.
- Aston Villa 4-0 victory in the second leg of the semi-finals against Nottingham Forest was the biggest ever margin of victory in a UEFA competition tie between two English clubs.
- Aston Villa coach Unai Emery was competing in his seventh UEFA Europa League semi‑final as a coach, having now won six ties in a row in this round since losing in the 2011/12 semi‑finals with Valencia.
- Unai Emery is the most successful coach in UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League history with four titles – three with Sevilla (2014, 2015, 2016) and one with Villarreal (2021). He is one ahead of Giovanni Trapattoni (3 titles).
- Unai Emery is aiming to be the first coach to win the UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League titles with three different clubs – all three of which have the word ‘villa’ in the team name (Sevilla, Villarreal and Aston Villa).
Freiburg preview: Freiburg in form
Freiburg come into this one on the back of a 4-1 hammering of RB Leipzig at the Europa-Park Stadion in the Baden-Wurttemberg at the weekend, seeing them push themselves back into the top seven in the Bundesliga to ensure European football next season.
They have qualified for the UEFA Europa Conference League but that could become UEFA Champions League football should they win here and complete a remarkable story under Julian Schuster, who has continued the brilliant work of Christian Streich.
Aston Villa preview: A brilliant season
Unai Emery has once again qualified Aston Villa for the UEFA Champions League, with the Villans confirming a top five spot in the Premier League at the weekend as they entertainingly defeated Liverpool by four goals to two at Villa Park.
The visitors had stuttered in the league prior to that much-needed victory, having got themselves into a European final with an emphatic 4-0 demolition of Nottingham Forest in Birmingham in the semi-finals earlier this month.
Freiburg team news: A couple of injuries
Japan international attacking midfielder Yuito Suzuki, who will still just about be at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, has suffered a collarbone injury and so is sidelined.
Alongside Johan Manzambi, Suzuki has been key for Freiburg during their run. Versatile defender Max Rosenfelder is also unavailable for the Germans.
Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Atubolu; Kubler, Ginter, Lienhart, Treu; Eggestein, Hofler; Beste, Manzambi, Grifo; Matanovic
Unavailable: Rosenfelder (Injured), Suzuki (Injured)
Questionable:
Aston Villa team news: Lindelof a doubt
In the second-leg of their semi-final against Forest, Victor Lindelof was a surprise starter in defensive midfield but the Sweden international is now a doubt for the Villans.
In defensive midfield, Villa do have some key injuries as both Boubacar Kamara and Amadou Onana remain sidelined with Douglas Luiz potentially getting the nod.
Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne; Luiz, Tielemans; McGinn, Rogers, Buendia; Watkins
Unavailable: Kamara (Injured), Onana (Injured), Alysson (Fitness)
Questionable: Mings (Injured), Lindelof (Injured)
Freiburg vs Aston Villa prediction
Freiburg have pulled off some impressive results this season and reaching a European final does feel as though the natural conclusion of their consistent upwards trajectory and punching above their weight over the last decade. Villa head to Turkiye with their key men, such as John McGinn, Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins, having found some excellent form and they will have to be viewed as the favourites for this one.
Freiburg vs Aston Villa tip: Aston Villa to win
