He is already the record coach in the Europa League, now Unai Emery can continue his triumph: the title with Aston Villa would be the Spaniard’s fifth in this competition.
The fact that SC Freiburg will meet Aston Villa in Istanbul on May 20th was pretty clear on Thursday evening (May 7th, 2026). The Birmingham club had lost the semi-final first leg at Nottingham Forest 0-1, but the second leg at Villa Park ended 4-0 (1-0) for Emery’s team.
Double strike from John McGinn
Ollie Watkins equalized the deficit from the first game in the 38th minute, Emiliano Buendia (58th) and twice the Scot John McGinn (77th/80th) ensured clear conditions in the second half. The match plan of the tactical genius Emery once again worked perfectly, especially after the break: Forest hardly had any chance to develop, was sometimes restricted in their own half, and Villa took excellent advantage of their chances.
The 54-year-old from the Spanish coastal town of Hondarribia has proven for more than a decade that he particularly enjoys the Europa League. This very special success story began with Sevilla FC in the 2013/14 season, and the Basque also led the Andalusians to the throne in the two following years.
Success also with Villarreal, but failed at PSG
The friend of the 4-2-3-1 system celebrated his fourth Europa League triumph five years later with FC Villarreal – not exactly a club from the top shelf in Europe. The fact that Emery took over the comparatively small club just outside Valencia was previously seen by many observers as a step backwards – because between 2016 and 2018 he sat on the bench at Paris St. Germain.
Despite a number of titles, Emery probably didn’t necessarily see this very special station as a success in his CV. At the European level, the coach did not succeed at the very rich Sheikh club, and he even managed the feat of missing out on the national championship title in Ligue 1. Ultimately, the coach failed because of this ensemble of super egos, who even regularly fought over the execution of penalties: Neymar was one of them, the young Kylian Mbappé, and Edinson Cavani and Angel Di Maria were also in the luxury squad.
Now a team without stars again
Now at Aston Villa, Emery once again has a squad that suits his strengths, that he can shape and lead: there are no superstars. In addition to the experienced Belgian Youri Tielemans, the best-known names from a German perspective are the ex-Dortmunder Jadon Sancho and the ex-Leverkusen player Leon Bailey. But neither of them play a big role for him: Sancho only came on against Nottingham in the 85th minute, Bailey in the 90th, and a former international like Tammy Abraham wasn’t even substituted on.
The current situation in the Premier League shows what outstanding work Emery does in everyday league life: SC Freiburg is waiting for fifth place in the table (equal on points with fourth place Liverpool). The exceptional coach will most likely not be able to take part in the 2026/27 Europa League – he will have to compete in the Champions League next season.