Freiburg defeated RB Leipzig 4-1 on the final day of the Bundesliga campaign. - © Daniela Porcelli

bundesliga

Freiburg vs. Aston Villa: UEFA Europa League final LIVE blog and team news

17.05.2026

Freiburg have the chance to win the first major trophy in their history as they take on Aston Villa in the UEFA Europa League final in Istanbul on Wednesday (kick-off: 9pm CEST).

The Black Forest club have already enjoyed a historic campaign by reaching their first European final, seeing off Braga 4-3 on aggregate in the semis and winning all seven of their home fixtures in this season’s Europa League.

Vincenzo Grifo has led the way with his five goals, while Matthias Ginter has played every single minute at the heart of the defence for Julian Schuster’s trailblazers, whose only previous final in any major competition was in the 2022 DFB Cup, where they lost on penalties to RB Leipzig.

What makes Freiburg so good?13.05.2026

While they are already guaranteed a spot in next term's UEFA Conference League, Freiburg also know that victory at Besiktas Park will see them qualify for the Champions League for the first time ever, joining Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig and VfB Stuttgart in the competition.

Unai Emery’s Villa have won 12 and lost two of their 14 games en route to the English club’s first continental final since 1981/82, when they won the European Cup against Bayern in Rotterdam. Their last major trophy was the 1995/96 English League Cup. Ollie Watkins and captain John McGinn are their joint-top scorers in the Europa League with five goals apiece.

Follow the game and build-up below:

Freiburg

Wed, 20.05 19:00

Villa

Europa League
Final Final Beşiktaş Park, Istanbul

Early Villa team news

Villa boss Unai Emery will hope to have a near full-strength squad available for Wednesday's showpiece. The 54-year-old's only current injury concern is midfielder Amadou Onana, who picked up a calf problem in the second half of Villa's semi-final first leg against Nottingham Forest.

Early Freiburg team news

For this encounter, Freiburg will be without Yuito Suzuki, who broke his collarbone in his team's clash with Wolfsburg at the start of the month. However, Patrick Osterhage is set to be available after recovering from a knee issue, given Julian Schuster plenty of options.

Tale of the tape

This is the first time these two teams have met. Villa, though, have previously faced German opposition six times, winning on four occasions - including in the final of the 1982 European Cup as they defeated Bayern Munich 1-0. Freiburg, meanwhile, have played four matches versus English clubs - all against West Ham - and have won one while drawing the other three.

Freiburg - The road to Istanbul

Like Villa, Freiburg also finished in the top eight of the league phase to avoid the play-off, ultimately finishing seventh. In the last 16, they lost 1-0 to Genk in the first leg but then roared to a 5-1 home win, before winning both games of their quarter-final with Celta Vigo. In the semi-finals, they lost 2-1 away at Braga in the first leg of the tie, conceding in injury time, yet rallied in front of their own supports to prevail 4-3 on aggregate and reach a maiden European final.

Aston Villa - The road to Istanbul

Villa breezed through the league phase, winning seven of their eight games to finish second and qualify directly for the last 16. They then defeated Lille 3-0 on aggregate, before defeating Bologna 7-1 over the two legs of their quarter-final tie. That set-up an all-English semi-final against Nottingham Forest but, despite losing the first game 1-0, they hammered their opponents 4-0 in the second leg to reach the final. While they have previously won the European Cup, they have never gone past the last eight in this competition before this season.

Final game for duo

This will be Nicolas Höfler's and Maximilian Philipp's final games for Freiburg. They will be eager to end their times at the club with an unforgettable memory. In the final game of the Bundesliga term, they said goodbye to the supporters.

Villa beat Liverpool

The English side, meanwhile, secured their own place in the 2026/27 Champions League by beating rivals Liverpool 4-2 at Villa Park on Friday evening. Striker Ollie Watkins scored twice, while John McGinn and Morgan Rogers also found the back of the net.

Freiburg secure European spot

Victory against Villa would see the Black Forest side qualify for the UEFA Champions League for the first time in their history, but they are at least guaranteed a Conference League spot after securing seventh spot on Matchday 34.

2:07

Freiburg 4-1 RB Leipzig - highlights

Freiburg rounded off the Bundesliga campaign with a convincing victory over Leipzig in front of their supporters.

3:25

The best of Freiburg in 2025/26

Enjoy some of the Black Forest club’s finest moments in the Bundesliga this past season.

1:38

Villa's Bundesliga connection

Jadon Sancho, Ian Maatsen and Leon Bailey all enjoyed successful spells in the Bundesliga prior to joining Aston Villa. Check out some of their best moments in Germany's top flight.