Aston Villa

Image source, Getty Images

German football broadcaster Constantin Eckner has given the lowdown on Freiburg before they face Aston Villa in the Europa League final on Wednesday evening.

"They finished seventh in the Bundesliga so they are at least qualified for the Conference league next season, but of course they want more," he told BBC Sounds' More than the Score podcast.

"The club is not known that well internationally but they were first promoted to the Bundesliga in 1993 and they are the proverbial underdogs in a sense. They are a small club from the south west of Germany near the German-French and German-Swiss border.

"They are a bit out of the centre of Germany but locally Freiburg are a major institution. The city itself has roughly 240,000 people living there while Freiburg as a club has 80,000 members.

"It is one of the 30 largest clubs in terms of memberships in the world, but many have not heard of them because it is quite a local affair. Up until this season they had never got past the round of 16 in European competition. In some years they fight against relegation, they have been relegated and promoted back to the Bundesliga on three occasions.

"People might not know that much about Freiburg but it is an intriguing club. For many years they always said they wanted to be one of the best 25 clubs in Germany. The Bundesliga is only 18 clubs, so they were even maybe content being in the second division and being in the best seven best teams there.

"With time, and more and more success, playing the Europa League in recent years, of course they want to achieve more and now they want to bring down Aston Villa in Istanbul."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

For some it's about belting out tunes with pride and ferocity...

Image source, Getty Images

For others it's the warm feeling of joy that comes on landmark days...

Image source, Getty Images

And for many it's in simply sharing.... sharing that thing you love with the people you love too.

Image source, Getty Images

Mike Taylor
BBC Radio WM reporter

Image source, Getty Images

The best thing about doing the business last Friday is that this week does not have to be about business at all.

Perhaps, even if often in the background, football has always been about business, the field inevitably tilted a little towards the biggest and the richest. Now, though, every fan knows the price of every game, not just the emotional value. The Championship play-off final - won by Villa seven years ago - is the "richest game in football", every Premier League position is worth more prize money, Champions League qualification the ultimate jackpot.

There has been no escaping that the first order of business for Villa this season has been to secure a return to the Champions League, and the merit of being in the Europa League this season was to give them two realistic chances of hitting that target.

Arguably, Europe was the easier route. As a now-regular top-six contender in the Premier League, clearly the best-resourced domestic competition, it was right to have high expectations. Villa were universally billed as pre-season favourites for the tournament for sound reasons.

All the same, to reach this stage in such impressive style is a notable achievement and a measure of progress from two years ago, when Villa ran out of fuel in the closing laps of a brilliant season and broke down against Olympiacos. Managing the demands of the Europa League alongside a domestic programme that wears down even the strongest squads requires skill and careful judgement.

Beating Liverpool eased the tension that had built in the second half of the season as Villa's form rose and fell. With the overarching requirement now met, the final can now be enjoyed solely for the emotional value of occasion itself, not the cash value. So it should be.

For most fans, that would have happened anyway. While all understand and share the Champions League ambition, what they crave most now is the glory, the thrilling memory that only the moment your team lifts a major trophy can give. Many in Istanbul, to say nothing of thousands more watching on big and small screens in Birmingham and beyond, have never known that feeling.

That goes for some of the players too. Unai Emery, of course, has felt it many times. But just watch and listen to him speak about European football to be left in no doubt about his yearning to feel it again, and share it with his claret-and-blue disciples, tonight.

Listen to coverage of the Europa League final throughout today on BBC Radio WM

And tune into The West Midlands Football Phone-In from 18:00 on weeknights

Explore Aston Villa content on BBC Sounds

Nick Mashiter in Istanbul
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Unai Emery's worries could fade away in Istanbul.

The Aston Villa boss is ready for Wednesday's Europa League final against Freiburg, the culmination of a season which initially had him concerned.

A winless opening five games - scoring just once - ended with a Europa League victory over Bologna in September.

It was a stuttering three points, thanks to John McGinn's early goal, but it got Villa up and running and they won 17 of their next 19 games.

The biggest match of them all now comes at Besiktas Park against Freiburg, one which could end a 30-year wait for a trophy and create a lasting legacy for Villa and Emery.

His calmness and meticulous nature ensured Villa recovered but the 54-year-old believes the collective effort has shone through.

He said: "I was worried at the beginning. Really worried. I was always trying to find solutions in each moment. I needed the players, I needed the work we did and the reaction we did.

"We are here for it, but we did it together."

There are thousands of travelling Villa fans out in Istanbul to watch the Europa League final so we asked for your photos!

Keep sending us you pictures and messages via this form.

Here are some of your messages:

David Michael
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

Aston Villa will play Champions League football again next season, regardless of what happens in Istanbul on Wednesday.

While the club's accounts department will welcome the Uefa prize money - which offers meaningful relief against the financial constraints that have shaped recent transfer windows - for supporters, the calculation is now entirely different.

Supporter discourse has been colonised by talk of PSR thresholds, Uefa wage-to-income ratios and amortisation. Conversations that belong in boardrooms have become the wallpaper of fan media, forums and social timelines.

Now, supporters can focus on what is really important as a football supporter.

• Send your images from Istanbul

Speaking in January 2024, Emiliano Martinez repeated what he had said when he first signed for the club: "We want to give fans a cup run, we want to give them the trophy, we want to give them Champions League football." Villa have delivered on most of it. Three deep European runs. Champions League football, with more to come next season.

The Europa League final against Freiburg will hopefully provide the missing link.

Thirty years have passed since Villa last lifted a trophy. The attempts at silverware since have been disappointing, summed up by the fact that Villa have only scored one goal from open play in four domestic finals since - a consolation by the largely forgotten Mbwana Samatta in the 2020 League Cup final against Manchester City.

For players like John McGinn, Ollie Watkins and Tyrone Mings, who have carried Villa through its best years in a generation, the final in Istanbul is a chance to crown their Villa careers.

Freiburg will be without Yuito Suzuki, their influential Japanese attacking midfielder who suffered a broken collarbone earlier this month. The loss of a player central to their European run should make the Germans more predictable and potentially less dangerous in open play.

Of course, with Unai Emery - who seeks an unprecedented fifth Europa League title - at the helm, you can't help but repeat the words of the late Ron Saunders, who built the last Villa team that achieved European glory: "Do you want to bet against us?"

Find more from David Michael at My Old Man Said, external

Nick Mashiter
Football reporter in Istanbul

Image source, PA Media

Aston Villa goalkeeper Emi Martinez has spoken about last summer's transfer saga for the first time since it looked like he could leave Villa Park for Manchester United.

Martinez left the pitch in tears after Villa's final home game of last season against Tottenham 12 months ago, with the expectation it would be his last home game for the club.

He was left out of the squad for August's defeat by Crystal Palace 24 hours before the transfer deadline - yet, despite then-United boss Ruben Amorim's desire to take him to Old Trafford, United opted for Senne Lammens instead and Martinez remained at Villa.

"Well, I say goodbye and I cry when I left my family from Argentina to England as well," Martinez said.

"Sometimes football can change, managers can come in and go. You know, in football people move around the place. It doesn't mean that I don't have full respect for the club. I love the club.

"I have a commitment with Aston Villa. I am a World Cup winner with Aston Villa, I have won two Golden Gloves with Aston Villa. I will always and forever love this club.

"One day I am going to retire, so someone else will need to be between the sticks."

Martinez was speaking before Wednesday's Europa League final against Freiburg in Istanbul having helped Villa - who are fourth in the Premier League - qualify for the Champions League for the second time in three seasons.

Villa are aiming to end a 30-year trophy drought and win a first major European title since lifting the European Cup in 1982.

The 33-year-old Argentina international said: "I am in a European final and we have got Champions League again with all the circumstances that we have had and battles we have had this year. We are one of the lowest spenders in the Premier League.

"We have a top coach, a top captain and a decent core of the team. When we stick together and when we fight together, I think that we can beat anybody. I am really proud to stay - I made the right choice."

Aston Villa play in the Europa League final on Wednesday and we want to hear how you are gearing up for the momentous match in Istanbul.

Are you one of the 10,758 Villa fans with a ticket? Or will you be watching from home or a local pub? Keep sending us you pictures and messages via this form.

Here are some of your messages so far:

Chris: Just on a coach from Brum to Luton Airport and passed Villa Park on the way. Flying to Bulgaria this afternoon then a 5-6 hour drive to Istanbul. As an eight-year-old kid I had a family friend offer to take me to Rotterdam but my parents wouldn't allow it so I watched at home on TV in full Villa kit. Not missing out this time. Can't wait.

Gary: While vacationing in Marbella, I decided what the heck and bought a ticket to the game. Thankfully Turkish Airlines fly non-stop from Malaga to Istanbul. Catching a midday flight from Malaga to Istanbul on Wednesday, land at 5pm and making my way straight to the stadium. Hopefully meet up with some fellow Villa fans, watch the Villa win, quick celebratory party with the fans outside, then catch the shuttle back to the airport as my flight back to Malaga leaves at 7am on Thursday morning. Whirlwind time, but worth every penny. UTV.

Prit: In 1982 after Villa won the European Cup, Nigel Spink and a few others brought the trophy to the Cross Keys pub in Erdington (I was too young to go in those days). Somehow, we "lost" the trophy for a few hours before it was recovered. So I will be watching the match from the Cross Keys hoping Captain Fantastic John McGinn can lift the Europa League trophy! UTV.

Ian: I was in Rotterdam in 1982 - a never-to-be-forgotten night with history being made. Unfortunately, because of poor health I cannot make the trip to Istanbul but luckily one of my sons, Ed, will be there cheering the Villa boys on to more glory (hopefully)! I will be watching from home with rest of the family and if we can produce a performance similar to the Nottingham Forest or Liverpool games then I'm confident that the silverware will be coming back to Villa Park. Keep the faith and UTV.

Katie Stafford
BBC Sport journalist

Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has been speaking to the media before Wednesday's Europa League final against Freiburg in Istanbul (kick-off 20:00 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• A decision on Amadou Onana's fitness will be made on Wednesday. Emery confirmed the midfielder trained on Monday and is expected to train later on Tuesday.

• Emery said this is "a new moment and hopefully, a new era" for the club.

• On managing the pressure: "We must try to understand the pressure as something positive not negative and the pressure is when you are playing for something important."

• He believes they "have played enough matches in Europe" to take the final step and win a European trophy as "those experiences are very important".

• More on the possibility of winning: "This is a new challenge we have together. We are confident. The players are here because they deserve it."

• He wants his side "to play with personality and with confidence" and to do that they "have to play with intensity".

• On their difficult Premier League start and now finishing on a high: "We started so poor at the beginning of the season for different reasons, but how the players responded in difficult moments was amazing. I was very worried – trying to find solutions."

• He said they overcame that by being "mature, responsible and professional" and said "this is the consequence" of their hard work and sticking together.

Listen to live commentary of the Europa League final on BBC Radio 5 Live from 20:00 BST on Wednesday.

Send us your images from Istanbul or your views on a huge occasion

Image source, PA Media

Wednesday's Europa League final "really feels like the last chance for this Villa squad" to win silverware, says BBC Sport football reporter Nick Mashiter.

Villa's impressive 4-2 Premier League victory over Liverpool on Friday secured their return to the Champions League with a game to spare, meaning boss Unai Emery can turn his full attention to winning his fifth Europa League title.

In the latest episode of the BBC's More Than The Score podcast, exploring Emery's career and what makes him tick, Mashiter said: "The pressure is off to a certain extent. Unai Emery had been always adamant that the league was the priority and qualification for the Champions League through the league was the priority. They've done that now and that is guaranteed.

"Emery is incredibly driven and meticulous. It's not just the Europa League, he's taken over Aston Villa when they were three points off the relegation zone under Steven Gerrard and in three and a half years he has built them steadily into a team that is consistent, qualified for Europe and is now in a major European final for the first time since 1982.

"Villa haven't won a trophy for 30 years, so he's transformed the entire club into one that consistently challenges for European spots and silverware as well.

"They have been to two semi-finals previously and lost them both, so winning the semi-final against Nottingham Forest was a massive hurdle as well.

"Villa need to get over the line because it really feels like the last chance for this team and this squad to really make a mark and win something before there is an expectant change to the squad.

"You're probably looking at a number of players going in the summer and this is going to be the last chance for them in Istanbul."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

Nick Mashiter
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Nigel Spink believes it is time Aston Villa's European Cup is "moved along the shelf" to make room for more silverware.

Villa face Freiburg in the Europa League final in Istanbul on Wednesday, aiming to win their first major European trophy since 1982.

Goalkeeper Spink was an early substitute in the final, replacing the injured Jimmy Rimmer, when Villa beat Bayern Munich 1-0 in Rotterdam to win the European Cup.

Villa have not won a major trophy for 30 years - the 1996 League Cup being their most recent success - and Spink wants the wait to be over.

"I felt like it was time for the European Cup to be moved along the shelf a little bit to make room for another European trophy and I'm so pleased we've got an opportunity to do that," he told BBC Sport.

"I know we're one step away still but if we do beat Freiburg then there'll be nobody more pleased than me to see that another crop of players having achieved European glory for the mighty club."

Spink's European Cup appearance was just his second-ever game for Villa and he went onto play 460 times for the club, also winning the 1994 League Cup.

He remained with Villa as they were relegated to the Second Division in 1987, just five years after being crowned kings of Europe.

"We got to a point, as a club, where we competed at the same level as the likes of Liverpool but it didn't step on. It wasn't embraced I feel, for whatever reason.

"The squad that played in 1981-82 should have been a larger part of the workforce, either playing or coaching at Villa.

"It [the European victory] should have been embraced more at boardroom level.

"We know it goes in cycles, that's the way it is, but you've got to make the effort to keep it there and we just totally declined as a club. We went through hell really for five years after coming out of the European Cup the following year against Juventus.

"Then we beat Barcelona in the Super Cup [in 1983] but after that period there was a definite decline of standards on the pitch on a Saturday afternoon. As a player having done what you did, you don't have control over what the ownership do."

Aston Villa midfielder Emi Buendia says playing in the Europa League final is "like a dream" and he will "fight to the end to get the victory".

Villa are hoping to win their first major trophy in 30 years when they take on German side Freiburg on Wednesday.

Speaking to BBC Radio West Midlands, Buendia said: "Everyone as a kid, firstly when you dream to become a footballer, then to play these kinds of matches is special, so we know we are here to have the possibility to make history with this club because it has not made a final in many years.

"We work so hard during the season to be here in this position to play these matches, so now we have to prepare well and enjoy as well because I think we deserve this and then fight until the end to get the victory and make our fans very happy.

"To be here now and having these chances is like a dream. I fought a lot to be in this position. I want to enjoy, and I will work hard to bring this trophy back here."

Listen to the full interview above or on BBC Sounds

You can find more Villa audio content here

Image source, Getty Images

Have you made the trip to see if Aston Villa can win their first European trophy for 44 years? We want your tales and pics from your travels and to hear about how you're soaking up the atmosphere.

And if you're not lucky enough to be in Istanbul, we still want to know where you're watching from and how you're preparing for the showdown against Freiburg.

Get in touch with your images and views here

On Wednesday night, Aston Villa have the chance to end a 30-year major trophy drought by winning the Europa League final against Freiburg in Istanbul.

If more motivation was needed, they can win major European silverware for the first time since 1982.

This is the first ever meeting between Freiburg and Villa, but Unai Emery's side have reason for optimism against German opponents after defeating both Bundesliga sides they faced in last season's Champions League - Bayern Munich (1-0) and RB Leipzig (3-2).

This is the 11th major European final between an English club and German team, and first since the 2012 Champions League final between Chelsea and Bayern Munich.

English teams have won eight of the previous 10, with the only German victories via Borussia Dortmund vs Liverpool in the 1965-66 Cup Winners' Cup and Bayern Munich vs Leeds in the 1974-75 European Cup.

Aston Villa are featuring in just their second major European final, last winning 1-0 against Bayern Munich in the 1982 European Cup final.

Only Manchester City have ever had a longer gap between their first two finals (1970 – 2021), but under Europa League specialist Unai Emery Villa have been building to this moment.

Since the start of 2023-24, no side has won more matches in major European competition than Villa (26) and only Arsenal (19) have kept more clean sheets in that time (16).

Emery has managed in five previous major European finals, all in the Europa League, winning four times with Sevilla, once with Villarreal and losing once with Arsenal in 2018-19.

With this his sixth, he goes level with Carlo Ancelotti, Sir Alex Ferguson and Jose Mourinho for major finals and sits behind only Giovanni Trapattoni on seven. A win would see him go level with Trapattoni, Ancelotti and Mourinho for major European final wins (5).

Everton and Aston Villa are interested in Newcastle's 22-year-old Denmark forward William Osula. (The I, external)

Want more transfer stories? Read Tuesday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Image source, Getty Images

Aston Villa defender Tyrone Mings has said "there is a real excitement" around the club before Wednesday's Europa League final against Freiburg.

The 33-year-old, who has been with the club since their promotion season back to the Premier League in 2019, is looking forward to the prospect of bringing home a first European trophy in 44 years for the supporters.

"It's an amazing moment and for the fans mainly," Mings told BBC Radio WM. "Of course we are excited, but in recent years, the fans have seen other clubs winning trophies and had a slight jealousy that we haven't been able to do that with the team that we've got.

"We've not been able to get over the line and bring a trophy back so I think there is a real excitement for that.

"The manager speaks a lot about how privileged we are to be able to feel that pressure as well. It's a positive thing because the alternative is a low-pressure environment and not competing for these things.

"And as a player who has been here for a long time, it probably means that little bit more.

"The manager is somewhat of a European genius and he always reiterates that the Premier League is the most important thing because it increases the revenues to compete with the financial restrictions put in place. But he still delivers these amazing European runs whilst focusing on the Premier League as much as we can.

"Finding that balance as a squad is something he should take massive credit for.

"In recent years, it has been a special time to be a Villa fan. There's a lot of history around the club and we are trying to add to that."

Hit play below to hear more from Mings, or listen here on BBC Sounds