SC Freiburg take on Aston Villa in the first of the European finals this season, as both sides look to end their season with a Europa League triumph. The German side overcame Sporting Braga in the semi-finals from a first-leg deficit and Aston Villa also did the exact same but by beating fellow English side Nottingham Forest.
SC Freiburg ended their league campaign in seventh place in the Bundesliga, which would provide them with a UEFA Conference League place, so winning the UEFA Europa League would qualify them for next season's UEFA Champions League. As for Aston Villa, they have secured a fourth-place finish in the Premier League, but a Europa League victory for Unai Emery would be his fifth triumph in six finals, losing just the once with Arsenal.
SC Freiburg have won two of their previous three matches in all competitions following their 4-1 win against RB Leipzig at the weekend and with the win against Braga. However, the biggest concern for the German side is their defensive problems. Freiburg have been conceding goals at an alarming rate, with no clean sheets in their previous nine matches. In fact, in this competition, Freiburg have kept a clean sheet in only 34% of their matches and prior to their two victories in three, they had gone without a win in their previous four.
Aston Villa's form has picked up in recent fixtures and they head into this fixture as the slight favourites for the final. The Villains were ruthless in their 4-2 over a mediocre Liverpool side as they confirmed their place in next season's Champions League, with the prospect of adding a trophy now on offer. Unai Emery's record in this competition has been magnificent, with four wins from five finals - including two wins against Liverpool and Manchester United in the respective finals. Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins has also been in fine form, with four goals in his last three matches, including a brace against Liverpool last Friday.
With how Freiburg have been defensively, goals should be at a minimum for Aston Villa. Over 2.5 goals have landed in four of the last five matches for the Villains, so we are going for a 3-1 win for the side from Birmingham.
SC Freiburg 1-3 Aston Villa
