Credit: Imago

Cameron Smith

Tue 19 May 2026 12:10, UK

Freiburg are aiming to lift their first major trophy on Wednesday as they take on an Aston Villa side equally desperate for glory.

It has been a fantastic season for both clubs, and they are now preparing to lock horns in the Europa League final in Turkiye.

Freiburg will appear in just the second final in their history, while Villa are hoping to win silverware for the first time in three decades.

To book their places in the final, Freiburg edged past Braga 4-3 over two legs, while the Villans swept aside Nottingham Forest 4-1 on aggregate.

Ahead of a huge clash in Istanbul, Opta’s supercomputer has predicted whether the trophy will be heading to southern Germany or the West Midlands.

Aston Villa delight on the cards as supercomputer predicts result vs Freiburg

Villa boss Unai Emery has lifted the Europa League four times in his managerial career, having successes at Sevilla and Villarreal.

His side takes on Freiburg, whose one and only major final came in 2022, when they fell to a penalty shootout defeat against RB Leipzig in the DFB-Pokal.

Handed a whopping 56.5 per cent chance of taking victory, Aston Villa are deemed the firm favourites as they head to Istanbul.

Alongside this, the chances of the tie going the distance are deemed larger than that of a Freiburg win, with a 24.1 per cent likelihood of a draw on the pitch.

With a European title on the line, the Villans could be set for a day that transforms the B6 outfit entirely.

Europa League win would be transformative for Aston Villa

Taking over from Steven Gerrard in 2022, Emery insisted that he had made the move to the Midlands to win silverware.

It has taken three and a half years, but he is now at the point where this is a serious possibility.

Away from Villa Park, the Villans have won five and lost just twice in Europe this season, with Emery’s side throwing themselves among the elites of the competition, with a view to extending this to the Champions League next term.

Should they end the 30-year wait for silverware, Aston Villa could put themselves back on the European football map.

The Midlanders have made immense progress under Emery, and a trophy could be the final element that convinces potential signings that the place to be is Villa Park.

In years to come, Wednesday’s final may be looked back on as the day that transformed the Villans – shifting their status from an underdog to one of the sides expected to be there or thereabouts both domestically and in Europe.