The lowdown on SC Freiburg

Aston Villa meet SC Freiburg in the UEFA Europa League final on Wednesday night, with both clubs battling to win the famous trophy for the first time.

Beşiktaş Park in Istanbul provides the backdrop for the showpiece occasion as Unai Emery’s men face the Bundesliga outfit.

While Villa have reached one European final in 1982, this will be Freiburg’s debut in the final of a UEFA competition.

Here is a closer look at our final opponents…

Scenesetter

SC Freiburg are enjoying a successful period in the club’s 121-year history, fighting at the top end of the Bundesliga in recent seasons.

Last term, the club finished two points off qualifying for this season’s Champions League, settling for fifth place in the standings.

Located in the south west of Germany, Freiburg fought for local titles before being promoted to the second tier of club football in 1978.

An inaugural promotion to the Bundesliga arrived in 1994, with their highest finish of third coming a year later, and the team have spent only seven seasons outside of the top tier since.

Freiburg’s entire history in European competition has been in the UEFA Cup/Europa League, spanning seven campaigns since their first foray in continental competition back in 1995.

In the dugout

Julian Schuster had big boots to fill when he succeeded Christian Streich as head coach in the summer of 2024.

Streich had spent 13 years in the Freiburg hotseat, overseeing a relegation, promotion, four top-seven finishes and a German Cup runners-up medal, before announcing his departure.

Schuster, who was an assistant coach at the club, stepped up into his first managerial role and led the club to fifth in his maiden campaign.

The 41-year-old became a hugely popular figure during a ten-year spell as a midfielder for the club, becoming captain and making 242 appearances between 2008 and 2018.

Schuster has since flourished on his first foray into Europe as a head coach, leading the team on an incredible run to the final, favouring a 4-2-3-1 system.  

Three to watch

Vincenzo Grifo

The experienced Italian has been a key part of everything that Freiburg have achieved in the Europa League.

Grifo has captained the team in five of their six knockout ties, scoring three times and registering three assists.

The 33-year-old, who is in his third spell with the club, racking up over 350 games, aims to influence the game from an attacking role on the left wing, cutting in on his right foot.

Villa will have to be careful not to give free-kicks away in dangerous positions as Grifo has a highlight reel of set-piece goals.

Johan Manzambi

Manzambi is enjoying a breakout season, cementing himself as a regular starter in the heart of midfield.

The 20-year-old, who broke into the team towards the end of last term, scored a spectacular goal in the semi-final second leg against Braga to put his team ahead in the tie.

It showcased the attacking qualities that have brought him seven goals and eight assists thus far.

Manzambi has played in a number of positions but predominantly forms part of a double pivot with Maximilian Eggestein.

Matthias Ginter

Bringing World Cup-winning pedigree and bags of experience to this Freiburg team is centre-back Ginter.

The 32-year-old was part of the Germany squad which won football’s biggest prize in 2014 at the start of his international career, which has seen him gather 51 caps.

Born in Freiburg, Ginter returned to the club where he made his name in 2022, and he’s missed just two matches this season.

In addition to his leadership and defensive qualities, Ginter has scored four and assisted seven times in 2025/26.

Route to the final

Freiburg flew out of the traps in the league phase, putting together a seven-game unbeaten run and picking up five wins.

The Bundesliga side beat FC Basel, Utrecht, OGC Nice, RB Salzburg and Maccabi Tel Aviv, while drawing with Bologna and Viktoria Plzeň.

A loss to LOSC Lille on Matchday Eight saw Freiburg finish seventh in the standings and book their place in the Round of 16.

A 1-0 defeat to KRC Genk was swiftly overcome by a 5-1 second-leg triumph on home turf, setting up a quarter-final versus Celta Vigo.

Two wins over the La Liga side secured a comprehensive 6-1 aggregate scoreline and took Freiburg into the semis.

Braga held a 2-1 advantage after the first leg in Portugal, but following an early red card for the visitors in the second leg, the Germans won 3-1 on the night to book their ticket to Istanbul.