Credit: Imago

Cameron Smith

Wed 20 May 2026 6:30, UK

Freiburg and Aston Villa are preparing to lock horns in the Europa League final on Wednesday.

It has been a fantastic season for both clubs, with Unai Emery’s Villans already securing a return to the Champions League after a 4-2 win over Liverpool on Friday.

Freiburg sealed their spot in the Conference League on Saturday, as they thumped RB Leipzig 4-1 on the final day of the Bundesliga.

Julian Schuster’s side have balanced the Bundesliga and Europe well this term, while they were knocked out at the semi-final stage of the DFB-Pokal by neighbours Stuttgart.

Looking to win their first major trophy, Freiburg face an Aston Villa side looking to make history under Emery in Turkiye.

How to watch Freiburg vs Aston Villa

Against Braga and Nottingham Forest in the semi-finals, Freiburg and Villa were rampant.

Winning 4-3 and 4-1 over two legs respectively, the pair booked their spots in the final with tough moments.

Fans not making the trip to Istanbul will be able to catch the action via TNT Sports 1 or TNT Sports Ultimate – available to those with Ultra HD hardware.

Streaming options are also available for those on the move, with the Sky Go app accessible to subscribers in the UK, while HBO Max continues to cover matches on TNT.

BBC Radio WM will provide the usual live coverage, while other national stations will offer analysis of Wednesday’s final.

Freiburg may be a banana skin for Aston Villa

Villa go into Wednesday’s clash as the firm favourites, but Freiburg will still provide a stern test.

Searching for their first major trophy, the Breisgauers will look to remain compact and resolute, while they have proven throughout the campaign that they are capable of being clinical in the final third – having scored four against Leipzig from five big chances.

Emery, though, has been here before, and will have his sights firmly set on a fifth Europa League title.

As a club, Freiburg are one of a handful in Germany to remain 100 per cent fan-owned.

With this in mind, they operate on a shoestring budget compared to their Premier League opposition, while the majority of the side is either homegrown or players brought in for next to nothing.

Boss Schuster spent 10 years at the club before his 2018 retirement, replacing Christian Streich at the helm in 2024, after the long-serving boss spent 20 years in various coaching roles at Freiburg – holding the managerial position for 13 years.

Villa are the favourites on paper, but they will have to be careful against a side with almost nothing to lose, and everything to gain, while a trophy for the Villans could transform the club as they continue to progress under Emery.