The stage is set at Istanbul’s Besiktas Park as Aston Villa prepare to face Freiburg in the UEFA Europa League final on Wednesday night.
Both sides arrive with the incentive to make history. Villa have waited four long decades for European silverware, while victory for the Germans would result in the first-ever trophy in Freiburg’s 122-year history.
Embed from Getty ImagesWith Champions League qualification sealed, Villa will strive to continue their rich vein of form in the knockouts that saw them decimate Nottingham Forest 4-1 in the Semi-finals.
And few managers know this competition as well as Unai Emery does.
The Spaniard has won the Europa League a record four times – three with Sevilla, once with Villareal – and has transformed his side into European contenders since arriving at Villa Park.
Ollie Watkins continued his purple patch with two goals against Liverpool on Friday and is the Villains’ top scorer in Europe with five goals so far.
However, Amadou Onana and Victor Lindelof remain doubts through injury, so Douglas Luiz could be reinstated in the midfield.
Embed from Getty ImagesFreiburg have embarked on their own remarkable run. The Bundesliga side have reached their first-ever continental final, overcoming Genk, Celta Vigo and Braga in the process.
Julian Schuster’s side have netted three times in four out of six knockout matches, with all-time top scorer Vincenzo Grifo recording a goal involvement in each of his last five European games.
Veteran defender Matthias Ginter has played every minute in the knockout stages, and rising star Johan Manzambi continues to shine after scoring in the semi-final second leg against Braga.
Yuito Suzuki will be out due to a fractured collarbone sustained against Wolfsburg.
The final kicks off at 20:00 GMT on 20 May, with the opportunity to make history awaiting both teams.