At the Tüpraş Stadyumu in Istanbul, SC Freiburg will face Aston Villa on Wednesday (9:00 p.m./RTL) for the first major title in the club’s history. The English Premier League side, currently in fourth place, are the clear favourites – the squad value of the English club is almost three times that of the Breisgauer.
But defensive leader Matthias Ginter insists: “Anything is possible, and of course we’ll try to catch a good day and hope they maybe don’t have theirs.” Striker Igor Matanović knows his team’s strengths well: “I know how uncomfortable we are. Everyone has had problems against us, and we’ll cause them problems too.” Victories over KRC Genk, Celta Vigo, and Sporting Braga paved the way to the Europa League final.
In the managerial duel, Julian Schuster goes up against Europa League expert Unai Emery, who has already lifted the trophy four times—three with FC Sevilla and once with Villarreal CF. Interwetten expert Peter Stöger sees this as a major advantage for the opposition: “For Schuster, this is the first time he’s stood in an international final, while his counterpart already has plenty of experience. He’s only lost one final, against Arsenal.” In this respect, Aston Villa are the clear favourites, according to Stöger. On top of that, “their fast-paced style of play” pushes them “into the role of favourites.”
The task is “a tough one,” admits Schuster, but his goal is clear: “to fill the trophy cabinet with a cup.” As a bonus, a triumph would even secure the club’s first-ever qualification for the Champions League. Stöger also sees genuine chances: “Freiburg play football with a clear purpose, have developed excellently both as a team and individually, and have built solid compactness. Not least thanks to their outstanding set-piece quality, they’ve raised their confidence to a higher level.”
Goalkeeper Noah Atubolu was amazed by the fan response, with more than 10,000 supporters making their way to the Bosphorus: “That’s insane. I don’t think that’s normal.” For Ginter, Villa are “very, very strong at home, not so much away. That’s why we hope our fans can turn it into a home game for us.” Then, “sometimes the underdog beats the favourite too.”
The experience from the lost DFB Cup final in 2022 against RB Leipzig is supposed to help keep the nerves steady. Vincenzo Grifo puts it in a nutshell: the aim is “to make the impossible possible.”
