Ladbrokes previews Freiburg vs Aston Villa in the Europa League final
Villa are tipped to lift the Europa League trophy and score at least two goals
Both teams are predicted to score with Unai Emery's side opening the scoring
Aston Villa will bid to win their first major trophy in 30 years when they face Freiburg in the Europa League final in Istanbul next Wednesday.
Villa produced a sensational display to blow Nottingham Forest away in the semi-final second leg and progress 4-1 on aggregate as they look to rubber-stamp the Unai Emery era with a trophy, which would be their first in Europe since winning the European Cup in 1982.
They go into the final as favourites against Freiburg, who also produced a second-leg comeback to beat Braga in the semi-finals as they prepare to appear in their first European final of any kind.
Check out our in-depth Europa League final preview, including lineups, predictions and tips for your Freiburg vs Aston Villa bet builder. Villa are heavy favourites at 4/11 to lift the trophy, with a Freiburg triumph priced at 19/10.
The first pick in our bet builder is for Aston Villa to lift the trophy - whether that be by winning in normal time, extra-time or penalties.
As mentioned, the Premier League side are heavily-tipped in the final and after showing great character to come back from a first-leg defeat against Forest, our experts believe they'll do enough to get over the line in Istanbul.
That 1-0 loss at the City Ground was actually only their second defeat in the whole of the competition so far, having won all of the other 12 matches and they should have too much for a side currently seventh in the Bundesliga.
Aston Villa to score more than 1.5 goals
Villa showed in that second leg at Villa Park how emphatic they can be when they are fully firing and they will hope it will be more of the same in the final.
Captain John McGinn has been on fire in front of goal in Europe this season with five goals, while Ollie Watkins is also enjoying a purple patch in front of goal towards the end of the season.
Emery's side have managed at least two goals in 10 of their 14 Europa League games this season, only failing to score in one overall, so tipping at least two here feels more than reasonable.
Both teams to score
We are not expecting it to be completely smooth sailing for Villa, though, as we predict both teams to score in the final.
Freiburg exhibited their attacking capabilities in the second leg as they won 3-1 at home to progress 4-3 on aggregate, with defender Lukas Kubler scoring twice and Johan Manzambi grabbing the other.
The Bundesliga outfit have found the net in all but one of their 14 Europa League games this season and Villa's defence is hardly impenetrable, as last Sunday's 2-2 draw with relegated Burnley showed, so we're predicting Freiburg to make it a tense final by finding the net.
Aston Villa to score first
Fast starts are often the aim for Emery's side, scoring first in 11 of their 14 Europa League games this season, and with what should be a well-stacked Villa supporters contingent roaring them on at the Tupras Stadium, we believe they'll look to get on the front foot in this game.
Scoring the first goal was crucial to Villa turning the tie around against Nottingham Forest, learning the lessons from their losing Conference League semi-finals against Olympiacos two years earlier when they were always chasing the tie after a poor start.
Similarly here, Villa will know allowing Freiburg to land the first blow will only increase the pressure on them so we're backing McGinn and Co to find the net first in the final.
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When is Freiburg vs Aston Villa?
Freiburg vs Aston Villa takes place on Wednesday, May 20, 2026 at Tupras Stadium in Istanbul, with kick-off scheduled for 8pm UK time
Where can I watch Freiburg vs Aston Villa?
Freiburg vs Aston Villa will be shown live on TNT Sports and HBO Max.
Can you bet on Freiburg vs Aston Villa?
Ladbrokes are offering customers the chance to bet on a number of Freiburg vs Aston Villa markets, including match result, both teams to score and goalscorers.
