Aston Villa and Freiburg meet in the UEFA Europa League final on Wednesday evening at Besiktas Park in Istanbul. Kick-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. BST (3:15 p.m. ET; 12:45 a.m. IST; 5:15 a.m. AEST), with François Letexier of France appointed as referee and Jérôme Brisard as VAR, according to the source.
Broadcast arrangements include TNT Sports 1, TNT Sports Ultimate and HBO Max in the U.K., Paramount+ in the U.S., JioHotstar in India and Stan Sport in Australia. Live updates will also be available from ESPN, the source adds.
The match carries significant history for both clubs. A Villa victory would deliver their first top-level trophy in 30 years and their first European title since 1982. Freiburg are contesting their first-ever European final and could secure a place in next season’s UEFA Champions League with a win; the club has never won a major top-level trophy in its 122-year history, according to the source.
Team news lists several absences and doubts. For Aston Villa, Emiliano Buendía is doubtful with a knock, Amadou Onana is out with a calf issue and Boubacar Kamara is out with a knee problem. Freiburg will be without defender Max Rosenfelder (hamstring), midfielder Patrick Osterhage (knock) and Yuito Suzuki (collarbone), the source reports.
Form and match context favour Villa. They beat Liverpool 4-2 at Villa Park on Friday to secure Premier League qualification for the Champions League, and they won seven of eight group-stage games en route to the final. Their knockout run included victories over Lille, Bologna and Nottingham Forest. Freiburg finished seventh in the Bundesliga and took just one win in their final four league matches — a 4-1 victory over RB Leipzig on the last day — but progressed through the Europa League knockouts by defeating Genk, Celta Vigo and Braga, according to the source.
John McGinn’s recent form is highlighted as pivotal for Villa; he scored twice in the second leg of the semi-final against Nottingham Forest and netted a long-range goal against Liverpool, providing a key attacking outlet and supply for striker Ollie Watkins, the source notes. Unai Emery is aiming to add a fifth Europa League title in his sixth final appearance, having won the competition four times previously.
