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Freiburg vs Aston Villa Predictions & Betting Tips - Aston Villa to Win the 2026 Europa League Final

eddy-tora
Editor
Last updated: Mon 18 May 2026 14:48
Aston Villa and Freiburg face off in the Europa League final, with Villa tipped as favorites due to superior form and squad depth. Ollie Watkins is in top scoring form for Aston Villa, while Freiburg's recent inconsistencies and injury woes could hinder them. Key stats show both teams have goal potential, but Villa’s manager and attacking talent may make the difference. The primary recommendation is to back Aston Villa to win, with Watkins as a likely goal scorer.
Eddy Tora 18 May 2026
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  • Ollie Watkins has scored 10 goals in his last 10 starts for Aston Villa
  • The in-form striker can keep his run going in Istanbul
  • I am backing Villa to beat Freiburg in the Europa League final
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Ollie Watkins uefa
Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins has scored 4 goals in his last 3 games (Getty)

Freiburg haven’t kept a clean sheet in nine matches, conceding 12 goals in their previous six games.

Ollie Watkins has been in sensational form since March, the striker backed to fire Aston Villa to victory in the Europa League final.

HTH


This will be the first match between Freiburg and Aston Villa.

Freiburg Finding it Hard to Keep Clean Sheets


Freiburg have won two of their last seven games, starting with a 2-1 extra time defeat to Stuttgart in the German Cup semi-finals.

The Black Forest club lost 2-1 at Braga in the Europa League semi-final first leg. They took advantage of an early red card to the Portuguese club in the second leg, Lukas Kübler scoring twice in a 3-1 home win.

Julian Schuster’s side returned to the Bundesliga with a deserved 3-2 defeat at Hamburg where Igor Matanovic scored twice. Freiburg are coming off a 4-1 win against Leipzig which secured seventh spot on the table.

Aston Villa Thriving Under Unai Emery


Aston Villa recently lost three straight matches, including a 1-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest in the Europa League semi-final first leg. Ollie Watkins opened the scoring in a dominant 4-0 second leg victory in Birmingham.

Watkins scored again as Unai Emery’s side earned a 2-2 draw at Burnley. The striker bagged another two goals in a 4-2 win against Liverpool on Friday, the Villains taking fourth spot in the Premier League with one game remaining.

Predicted Lineups & Team News


Freiburg (4-2-3-1) Noah Atubolu; Lukas Kübler, Matthias Ginter, Philipp Lienhart, Jordy Makengo; Maximilian Eggestein, Nicolas Höfler; Niklas Beste, Johan Manzambi, Vincenzo Grifo; Igor Matanovic

Patrick Osterhage is recovering from knee surgery and Yuito Suzuki has a collarbone fracture. Max Rosenfelder has a hamstring injury and hasn’t played since February.

Aston Villa (4-2-3-1) Emiliano Martinez; Matty Cash, Ezri Konsa, Pau Torres, Lucas Digne; Victor Lindelöf, Youri Tielemans; John McGinn, Morgan Rogers, Emiliano Buendía; Ollie Watkins

Boubacar Kamara and Amadou Onana are out for the English club. Victor Lindelöf could continue in the holding midfield role ahead of Lamare Bogarde and Douglas Luiz.

Verdict

Aston Villa have a superior manager and squad, led by Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins who are in fine form. Freiburg did well to reach the final, but I think the German club will be outclassed in Istanbul.

Best Bet1: Aston Villa Win Full Time Result @7/10 at Hollywoodbets - 5 Units
Best Bet2: Ollie Watkins Anytime Goalscorer @6/4 at bet365 - 1 Unit
Best Bet3: Aston Villa Win & BTTS Win & BTTS Yes @3/1 at Star Sports - 1 Unit
Best Bet4: Ollie Watkins First Goalscorer @9/2 at Hollywoodbets - 1 Unit
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eddy-tora
Eddy Tora

Sports Editor • 15+ Years of Experience, Football Betting Specialist

Eddy was born in Melbourne, Australia and studied at La Trobe University. Eddy writes about a number of sports including football, AFL and NRL. You will find him covering big football matches from around Europe and beyond. Follow Eddy on LinkedIn.

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