Excitement is building in Istanbul ahead of Bundesliga side SC Freiburg’s UEFA Europa League final against Aston Villa.
For Freiburg, it’s only the club’s second ever major cup final (after the German Cup final in 2022) and their first ever European final. And though 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.
«It’s one of our greatest strengths,» he said pre-match. «We all know each other perfectly and we have a fantastic mentality in the squad. We’re all very close to one another.»
In the semi-final second leg against Portuguese side Braga, five of Freiburg’s starting XI had come through the club’s academy and another five were sat on the bench. Meanwhile, veterans such as Vincenzo Grifo, Philipp Lienhart, Maximilian Eggestein and Matthias Ginter have all gathered substantial experience elsewhere before joining – or returning to – Freiburg.
«We’ve grown to the point where many of the lads who develop at Freiburg no longer leave; they stay here at their peak,» explained captain Christian Günter. «If I think back ten years ago, we had three or four players who were extremely good but then they would leave and we’d be back to square one.»
Now, however, as a result of sustainable economic growth, Freiburg have the financial means to keep them. «Many of the lads feel really at home here and they identify with the city and our football,» said Günter.
Read more about SC Freiburg’s unique approach here on DW.
Setback for Freiburg fans as organizers ban flags
Despite selling out their 34,000-capacity home stadium in the Bundesliga every two weeks, Freiburg (and Villa) were only allocated 11,000 tickets for the final in Istanbul — and all were quickly sold out.
Like many German fan groups, Freiburg supporters are well known for creating a spectacular atmosphere and for their colorful pre-match choreographies – but there will no such display at the Besiktas Stadium on Wednesday after local authorities imposed restrictions on flags, banners, drums and other fan materials.
«Today’s conditions are worlds apart from our idea of a vibrant and loud fan culture,» the Freiburg fans lamented in a statement.
