Aston Villa will take on German side SC Freiburg in the Europa League final on Wednesday. Here's everything you need to know about the Bundesliga side.
The Bundesliga side beat Braga over two legs to qualify for the final in Istanbul, having seen off Celta Vigo and Genk on the way.
Villa are hoping to end a 30-year wait for a major trophy, with Unai Emery hoping to cap off an impressive season with his own fifth Europa League success. Last week saw the Villans beat Liverpool 4-2, confirming their place in the Champions League next season and perhaps releasing some of the pressure on Wednesday’s clash.
Emery’s team are an attractive prospect already, but will undoubtedly have an easier time attracting the top tier of talent if they can celebrate the Europa League on Wednesday. Managed by Julian Schuster, a former Freiburg player who began his management career at the club before taking over in 2024, the German side are seventh in Bundesliga.
The 41-year-old was faced with a monumental task coming into his first senior management role – replacing the legendary Christian Streich, who had been in charge for almost 13 years. But the impact was immediate, with Shuster’s team finishing fifth last season and enjoying another strong campaign this year, beating the likes of RB Leipzig over the course of the season.
Freiburg usually play a 4-2-3-1, relying on a man-to-man press that forces their opponents into mistakes and less dangerous attacks. Schuster likes his team to pack the middle of the pitch, with two experienced defensive midfielders covering the back-line. Freiburg are not the strongest attacking outfit, but are more than capable of hurting Villa with set-pieces and fast counters.
Igor Matanovic is Freiburg’s top scorer this season with 15 across all competitions, and the danger man Villa will want to watch most closely. The 23-year-old joined from Eintracht Frankfurt last summer and will be a handful for the likes of Ezri Konsa. Vincenzo Grifo is a Freiburg legend, having scored 108 goals in almost seven years at the club.
At the age of 33, he has enjoyed a brilliant season, scoring 14 goals across all competitions and providing nine assists. Emerging more recently as a danger man, Villa will also have to keep an eye on 20-year-old Johan Manzambi, who, despite prominently featuring as a box-to-box midfielder, has scored seven goals and provided six assists.
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