Unai Emery laughed off suggestions he is the ‘King of the Europa League’ and remains fully focused on securing Aston Villa’s first European trophy in 44 years.
Villa take on Freiburg at the home of Istanbul-based club Besiktas tomorrow night and will go in as favourites, in part due to Emery’s record of having won the competition four times previously with Sevilla and Villarreal.
The 54-year-old dismissed that would have any impact on tomorrow night’s game, however, and hopes this is merely the start for the Birmingham club.
He said: ”I am not the king of this competition. This is a new opportunity. I hope this is just the start of a new era for Aston Villa.
“I’ve been planning and trying to implement my vision of Aston Villa playing for trophies, playing in Europe and of course, how we achieved it this year is really fantastic. This year, we are playing in the Europa League final, which is something fantastic. Now is the moment to enjoy with our supporters, the moment here, the final.”
The prize for the winner of the Europa League is qualification for the Champions League but that is already in the bag for Villa following their Premier League win over Liverpool on Friday night.
Captain John McGinn said: “We’ve enjoyed the build-up. Obviously, we had a successful game on Friday, which allowed us to secure Champions League football. We’ve enjoyed the last few days, but now the focus has to be on how we can beat Freiburg and take the trophy home.
“I’m proud of where the club is now. I’m proud of everyone who has played a part in that, whether that’s small or big. It’s the result of hard work both on and off the pitch. But now we’re here, on one of the biggest stages you can get, and trying to get a trophy for Aston Villa in Europe after 44 years, so I stand here with great pride in where the club is now. We’re now a force in European football.”
Freiburg finished the recently completed Bundesliga season in seventh and will play in the Conference League next season if they do not claim the trophy in Istanbul.
The club from the edge of the Black Forest was not expected to get this far but came from behind to overcome Braga 4-3 on aggregate in the semi-finals. That followed on from hugely impressive wins over Celta Vigo and Genk.
Striker Igor Matanović told UEFA.com: “It definitely wasn’t easy to reach the final. When I think back to the [round of 16], we didn’t play well in the away game against Genk. But that’s a quality in itself, to keep going and take those negative experiences as they come.
“It gave us huge confidence to be able to test ourselves against teams that don’t just play in Germany.
“If you can see you’re on the same level as top clubs from various countries and then also win the matches, it certainly gives you self-confidence. It wasn’t as if it went well from the start – if I compare us now to how we started the campaign, we’re playing much, much better football.”
Victory would cap a remarkable rise to prominence for coach Julian Schuster, who only took over the role two years ago.
Having made almost 250 appearances for Freiburg as a player, he was offered the chance to move into the dugout and has seized the opportunity with both hands.
He said: ”It would have been presumptuous to even have thoughts like that [when he took over]. What I really discovered was that I enjoy coaching and that it is a passion to be able to pass knowledge on.
“I felt a real desire to be a coach. Of course, the thought that I could one day lead this team was there, but without a specific path.”
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Team news for Freiburg v Aston Villa
Freiburg will be without Yuito Suzuki due to a fractured collarbone, and Patrick Osterhage is a doubt.
Emery will have a near full-strength squad from which to choose, the only absentees being the injured Boubacar Kamara and the ineligible Ross Barkley and Alysson.
Amadou Onana is an injury concern due to a calf issue that has kept him out of the past four games while his replacement Victor Lindelof, who has operated in a holding midfield role in recent weeks, should be fit despite being withdrawn at half-time against Liverpool with a foot problem.
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