Excitement is rising in Istanbul ahead of Bundesliga side SC Freiburg’s UEFA Europa League final against Aston Villa.
For Freiburg, this is the club’s second-ever major cup final (following the German Cup Final in 2022) and their first European final. And although they go into the showpiece as underdogs, head coach Julian Schuster is counting on his team’s spirit and togetherness to pull off an upset against English Premier League side Villa.
“That’s one of our biggest strengths,” he said before the match. “We all know each other well and we have a great mentality in our team. We are all very close to each other.”
In the second leg of the semi-final against Portuguese side Braga, five of Freiburg’s starting eleven had come through the club’s academy and the other five sat on the bench. Meanwhile, veterans such as Vincenzo Grifo, Philipp Lienhardt, Maximilian Eggestein and Matthias Ginter have gained substantial experience elsewhere before joining – or returning to – Freiburg.
Captain Christian Günter explained, “We have reached the point where many of the boys who developed in Freiburg no longer leave; they stay in their prime here.” “If I think back ten years ago, we had three or four players who were extremely good, but then they left and we were back to square one.”
Now, however, as a result of continued economic growth, Freiburg has the financial means to maintain them. “A lot of the boys really feel at home here and they identify with the city and our football,” Gunter said.
Read more about SC Freiburg’s unique approach here on DW.
Shock for Freiburg fans, organizers ban flags
Despite selling out their 34,000-capacity home stadiums in the Bundesliga every two weeks, Freiburg (and Villa) were allocated only 11,000 tickets for the final in Istanbul – and all were quickly sold out.
Like many German fan groups, Freiburg supporters are known for creating great atmosphere and their colorful pre-match choreography – but there will be no such display at the Besiktas stadium on Wednesday after local authorities banned flags, banners, drums and other fan paraphernalia.
Freiburg fans lamented in a statement, “Today’s circumstances are completely at odds with our idea of a vibrant and vigorous fan culture.”