How they got to the Europa League final
Aston Villa went into the 2025-26 Europa League with their sights set on the one trophy Unai Emery hadn’t quite managed to deliver at Villa Park. The Spaniard had taken the club to the Europa Conference League semi-finals in 2023-24 and the Champions League quarter-finals last season.
Istanbul on 20 May, against SC Freiburg, is where that progression leads. Those checking the Freiburg vs Aston Villa odds ahead of the final will find Villa the favourites to lift the trophy, but their final challenge is a Bundesliga side who have been the surprise package of the competition.
A solid base in the league phase
Villa’s campaign began on 25 September 2025, and they went about the league phase efficiently, winning six of their eight matches. A 1-0 win over Bologna on matchday one was followed by a 2-0 victory away at Feyenoord. The only loss in those opening eight games came at Go Ahead Eagles, a 2-1 defeat that barely registered as a concern given the form surrounding it.
By the time the league phase concluded, Villa had beaten Fenerbahce in Istanbul and seen off Salzburg 3-2 in their final home group outing to confirm their place in the round of 16 as one of the competition’s top sides.
Overcoming Lille
The round of 16 paired Villa with Lille, and the tie was settled with minimal fuss. An Ollie Watkins-inspired first leg in France ended 1-0 to the visitors, putting Villa in full control before they completed the job with a 2-0 win at Villa Park, going through 3-0 on aggregate. Lille had reached the knockout stages in good form but had no answer to the precision Emery’s side showed across both legs.
Dismantling Bologna
The quarter-finals brought a rematch with Bologna, the Italian side Villa had beaten on the opening matchday. This time, the scoreline was far more emphatic. Villa won the first leg 3-1 in Italy before completing an aggregate 7-1 demolition with a 4-0 victory at home.
It was the standout result of the quarter-final round across the whole competition and confirmed Villa as one of the clear favourites for the trophy. If you want to bet on Europa League, the quarter-final display was the point at which Villa’s price started to look shorter for good reason.
The semi-final against Nottingham Forest
The draw produced an all-English tie against Nottingham Forest, and the first leg at the City Ground ended 1-0 to the hosts after Chris Wood converted a penalty. Villa were a goal down, away from home, and facing a Forest side that had gone 10 games unbeaten in all competitions.
The second leg at Villa Park told a completely different story. Villa levelled the aggregate in the 36th minute through Watkins, Emiliano Buendia converted a second-half penalty to make it 2-0, and John McGinn sealed it with two goals in three minutes late on to complete a 4-0 win and a 4-1 aggregate victory. Villa Park hadn’t seen a night like it in years. Emery is now one win away from his fifth Europa League title.
