Europa League: Its a new chapter, a new challenge, says Unai Emery before the Fribourg

The Spanish coach of the Villans has the opportunity on Wednesday to win a sixth Europa League final out of seven contested finals.

With their journey over the past two seasons, Aston Villa has the “experience” necessary to calmly approach the Europa League final on Wednesday against Fribourg, coach Unai Emery assured on Tuesday.

“We reached the semi-finals, the quarter-finals (of the Champions League in 2025) and now the final. We have experience and we have prepared to get here. It’s a new chapter, a new challenge. We are confident, but we respect our opponents,” said the Spanish coach, who is experiencing his sixth Europa League final as a coach (with five wins). He also underscored the importance of his players’ “experience.”

“The pressure is also there,” but “we must try to perceive it as something positive and not negative,” he said, adding that “we have already experienced a lot of emotions,” referring in particular to the complicated start of the season. “We remained very calm at the beginning of the season. The players’ reaction was incredible, they were involved. They showed maturity and responsibility. Today, thanks to the way we play, we have reached the Champions League. We have achieved this together,” he emphasized.

“For the captain of the ‘Villans,’ John McGinn, “this is an important moment”: “It’s hard to believe that seven years ago, we were playing in a final to reach the Premier League.” “It has been a fantastic journey, punctuated by highs and lows, moments where we brushed disaster, where we almost went back down to the Championship,” the Scot recalled.

“This final is without a doubt the moment I am most proud of as captain,” he assured. “So many years, so many matches spent together fighting for a place in the middle of the table, then for a place in Europe, then for the semifinals, and now we are in the final. I think we deserve it,” also said goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.